The Planning Of A Matriarch
by ChronicallyChill
Summary: Uchiha Mikoto just wanted a daughter to pamper and adore. Who knew that could lead to a misunderstanding, an arranged marriage, and Itachi dodging fireballs.
1. Chapter One

_**Hello! This is my first time writing a fanfic**_

 _ **Was talking to a friend *cough*BkCeallaigh*cough* about how much I adore non-mass fics because I love the idea of Uchiha Mikoto and how she would adore Sakura and Sarada**_

 _ **Sadly, most non-mass fics are ItaSaku and my ship is SasuSaku so I had to make my own lol**_

 _ **I intend to try to follow canon-compliance as much as possible**_

 _ **I guess I have to add a disclaimer? Here goes: I do not own Naruto, if I did I would have never let Studio Pierrot animate it and I would have had Hinata keep her nice cropped hair, it was adorable**_

 _ **Okay, real**_ **D** **isclaimer** _ **: This story will utilize characters and situations that are the copyright of Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, and Viz Media. ChronicallyChill is no way associated with the creator or producers of Naruto and no copyright infringement is intended. Obviously this is a fanfic meant solely for the entertainment of the fanfic author and (hopefully) it's readers.**_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

When the second of her sons became a genin, Uchiha Mikoto felt pride swell in her chest but she couldn't quite quell the dull ache that her empty nest left. Sasuke wasn't one to spend all of his time at home to begin with but now that he had his own team to train with, the little time he did spend at home, waiting around for his older brother, greatly diminished.

"Maybe I shouldn't have teased him so much by calling his training _practice_ …" Mikoto sighed. Plucking a ripe tomato from a vine, she tried not to picture the the quivering excitement in her son's eyes when she laid out his favorite snack when he came back from training. He would always try to mask it with look of an indifference. Oh, teenage rebellion.

"Kaa-san?" Mikoto's ears perked up at the sound of a shoji door sliding and the tight voice of her pubescent child's voice. Looking over to their home's backyard entrance, Mikoto found Sasuke with his arms crossed in front of his chest, glaring holes into the floorboard.

 _He's in a mood isn't he?_ Mikoto chuckled to herself, trying not to show how adorable she found her grumpy child's pout. Wiping her hands on her apron, Mikoto stood up from her spot in the garden and made her way to her son.

"You're home early," Mikoto inferred, fighting the urge to ruffle Sasuke's unruly locks of dark hair. As he started entering puberty he fought against acts of affection, not wanting to be treated as a child any longer now that he was a genin. "Want to help me prepare dinner?"

"No!" Sasuke replied quickly, cheeks flushing pink. "I mean, no."

Mikoto bit her lower lip to contain the grin threatening to overcome her face. Why was her youngest so flustered?

"My, uh, team wanted to come over." Sasuke huffed, rolling his shoulders back, trying to keep an air of nonchalance. Mikoto rolled her eyes at her offspring's mask of indifference. He was trying so hard to seem cool, calm, and collected.

 _This isn't a trait he picked up from Itachi, is it?_ Mikoto shook that thought out of her mind. Her eldest son was a quiet young man but where he was soft and calm, he didn't possess the nonchalant and blasé air Sasuke was exhibiting.

"They are in our sitting room."

Mikoto squealed and clapped her hands together. Sasuke jumped at the sudden change from calm to excitement. Mikoto had been wanting to meet her son's genin team but never had the chance. She already knew about Naruto, her dear late friend Kushina's son, but she had never been able to catch a single peek at the third member of Team Seven.

"I'll go make tea!" Mikoto squealed once more and sped off to the kitchen to prepare snacks for her guests. Sasuke followed after his mother mumbling requests under his breath that his mother not embarrass him and that she didn't need to do much that they wouldn't be staying long.

"You really didn't have to make tea, Kaa-san." Sasuke followed at his mother's elbow as she brought out a tray to the informal sitting room. Despite his protests he assisted his mother by caring a second tray holding sweets and senbei. Mikoto didn't forget to include slices of his favorite fruit, sprinkled with just a bit of salt.

"Good afternoon! I'm─" Mikoto almost dropped the tray she was holding when she shuffled through the entrance to the sitting room. She had to hold in the squeal of delight trying to escape her throat when she spotted the twelve year olds sitting on cushions on the floor by her low table.

Naruto was his usual bright and sunny, fidgety self. He kept craning his neck around trying to catch things he might have missed when he came into the house. A fluttery feeling filled Mikoto's chest. He had his father's coloring but that was definitely Kushina's round cheeks. It had been so long since she last saw him and he was just as adorable as her own twelve year old son.

Sitting much more properly, back straight in a forced manner to show proper etiquette, next to the blond ball of sunshine was a young girl of the most unique coloring that Mikoto had ever seen. Rosy pink locks framed a creamy heart-shaped face and from under pale pink lashes, a pair of jade eyes looked up at her nervously. On a larger than average forehead, lines creased as pastel eyebrows drew together, stressed from the scrutiny Mikoto was subconsciously putting on her.

"Kaa-san?"

Mikoto snapped out of her daze and found her son sitting on a cushion next to the pink fairy, already having set his own tray down. Watching them all in a row next to each other looking extremely colorful as a unit, Mikoto let her hand fall to her chest.

 _Where's a camera when you need one?_ Mikoto's eyes twinkled as they darted from dandelion yellow to petal pink and then to midnight blue-black.

"Okay, well," Sasuke huffed, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. His mother wasn't usually this daffy. "Kaa-san, this is Haruno Sakura. And you already know Naruto."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted from his spot, no longer interested in the decor. "Don't say my name like I'm some toss-in!"

"Haruno Sakura?" Mikoto immediately took a spot across from the pink, fluffy child, ignoring the rude outburst from the now irritated blond."What a fitting name!"

"Yes. My parents thought so." Sakura's voice was soft and silvery. She wrung her hands in her lap, unsure of herself as she sat directly across from her crush's mother.

 _Oh my goodness, she's so_ precious _!_ Mikoto, still unaware of how nervous she made the rosette, continued to drink in the cuteness of the little spring fairy that graced her home with her presence.

"Wanna say that again, you jerk!?"

Mikoto was snapped out of her reverie by the shouting of the other member of her son's team. Her own son was leaning back on his hands and rolling his eyes at the actions of the other boy. In her daze she hadn't noticed that Sasuke and Naruto had started to argue.

"Naruto-baka!" Sakura hissed in a whisper. She tugged roughly on Naruto's ear trying to get his attention away from Sasuke. "We're guests here! Will it kill you to behave for once."

That was completely unexpected from the delicate looking child but all the same, Mikoto sighed dreamily. Even when angered the little girl was the cutest thing! Being energetic was a good thing and much needed in a home where everyone was always so calm and withdrawn.

Needed in a home? Mikoto's cheeks warmed up as it dawned on her that she was already in the process of adopting Sakura in her mind. But she couldn't help it! She loved her sons dearly and no matter how feminine Sasuke's pre-pubescent looks were, it was no substitute for a pretty daughter she could dote on. And Sakura was perfect! So pink and adorable.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Mikoto extended an invitation to her son's friends. Naruto opened his mouth ready to accept but Sasuke interrupted him.

"They can't. We're actually on our way to a team dinner with our sensei."

"Oh! Right. The mask," Naruto stage whispered and snickered. "It was nice seeing you again Mikoto-kaa but we really do have to go!"

"It was nice to meet you, Uchiha-san." Sakura bowed politely and scrambled after her teammates, leaving a forlorn Mikoto alone with cold tea and half eaten snacks.

"That's just too bad," Mikito murmured, dusting herself off and cleaning up. She couldn't keep the silvery notes of the twelve year old girl's voice out of her ears.

* * *

"What do you think of Uchiha Sakura?" Mikoto asked her husband as she prepared their futon, ready to turn in for the night.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Fugaku choked on air. He hadn't expected another pregnancy now that their youngest was already twelve. He was ready to relax and spend the rest of his years watching over their sons as they became honorable shinobi and enjoy quality time with his wife.

"No," Mikoto sighed, turning on her side. "Just a thought."

 _Just a lovely thought._

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I know this is a pretty short first chapter but I will be updating the next chapter tomorrow or the day after, after I take another look at it (I actually have the first four chapters already typed out). Don't worry about that ugly Author's Note up top this will be the last time I place one before a chapter. Please do review,**_ **constructive** _**criticism is appreciated.**_


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Mikoto hummed to herself as she flounced around her kitchen, packing bento boxes. Each was neat and full of delicious foods but she took special care in the design of one in particular. She never prepared sloppy bentos for her sons but something about making one for a girl made her want to ensure that the box was impressive.

"Good afternoon, Okaa-san," Itachi greeted politely as he reached for a syrupy treat lying on the kitchen counter.

"Itachi no!" Mikoto made a quick slap at her son's hand, blocking him from grabbing any dango. Itachi's eyes widened, flabbergasted at his mother's behavior. "Those are for Sasuke and his teammates."

"Otouto doesn't like sweets." Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. For the past few months his mother had been acting differently from the norm. She would prepare more food than needed, enough for a squad of people, as oppose to the humble lunch of onigiri she use to make for Sasuke to take with him on his way to training.

His mother had also made changes to her usual daily schedule. Mikoto would take time out of her day to stroll into the training grounds to deliver lunch or wait at the gates to receive her son and the rest of Team Seven when they returned from missions. Another odd quirk was the increase in visits to a seamstress in the village as of late. No one could prove that she was purposefully causing the tears in clothing or finding excuses to take in items to the tailor but the fact that she was straying from using the family tailor was highly suspect.

It didn't help that she was caught muttering to herself, "Same eyes as her mother but where did the pink come from?"

"For his team?" Itachi cocked an eyebrow and then let his face relax into a pleasant smile. "I could drop off the bento boxes, Okaa-san."

"Thank you for the offer but I will drop them off myself," Mikoto chirped, wrapping the boxes in an oversized handkerchief for easy and safe travel. "I wanted to go for a walk anyway. Get some fresh air."

"You work in the garden everyday."

"Stop questioning your mother, Ita-chan," Mikoto snapped, untying her apron and running her fingers through her ebony locks, patting down any that strayed from it's perfect order.

Mikoto made her way to Training Ground Three, giving small smiles to passersby that greeted her on the road. She liked to take the long way, creating a path that conveniently crossed her in front of the food shops in the merchant district. She enjoyed the sweet smells from the bakery and the more her presence became commonplace in the area, the less likely it would be found odd if she ran into a certain cherry blossom child.

One of the many downsides of the Uchiha district being located in the outskirts of town is how isolated it made the clan from the rest of the villagers. Mikoto had her friends amongst her cousins but she couldn't shake the lonely feeling that came with surrounding herself with others that looked unnervingly similar to her.

It was probably why she enjoyed chatting with Haruno Mebuki. The woman had little shinobi experience, being only a genin and a first generation ninja from a civilian clan, but she more than made up for the differences in lifestyle by being one of the most pleasant conversationalists Mikoto had ever met. Only rarely did Mikoto feel a dull ache in her chest, remembering Uzumaki Kushina fondly, and wishing that she could also be with them as they drank tea and talked about their children. She believes that the three of them would have been the bestest of friends, similarly to how close their children seem to be.

Entering the clearing to Team Seven's preferred training field, Mikoto spotted blurs of yellow and blue clashing with one another. Scanning the clearing she found a lone blob of pink under the shade of a tree. Hatake Kakashi, their sensei was lounging on a tree branch just above her.

"Hello Sakura-chan," Mikoto greeted the rosette girl, plopping down on the ground next to her. Sakura blinked up at her from a large tome about herbs and their properties. Her eyes changed from a hazy daze to bright and dazzling when she recognized the visitor.

"Hello Mikoto-san," Sakura smiled sweetly as she folded a corner of the page she was currently reading and set her book aside. "How are you today?"

Itachi is a charming young man but his polite smiles couldn't cause the same fluttering in Mikoto's stomach that Sakura's did. Sometimes Mikoto truly was jealous of Mebuki for being blessed with a daughter.

"I am well. How is training going today?"

Sakura sighed and shook her head. She lifted the book she had been reading before Mikoto entered the clearing and handed it to her.

"I'm studying the medicinal properties of different plants." Sakura pouted, twisting pink lips in frustration. "I still can't keep up and studying is what I'm best at so why not make use of it, right?"

Mikoto ruffled Sakura's short pink locks, trying to comfort the young girl. She understood her frustration. Team Seven had taken the Chunin exams recently and unfortunately for Team Seven none of them had passed. The invasion had interrupted the third part of the exam and Sakura was unfortunate to not have passed the preliminary round.

"Get back here, jerk!" Naruto's loud complaining drew their attention to the center of the clearing. Sasuke had his hands in his pockets, face buried in the high collar of his shirt, walking toward the tree they were sitting under. Naruto's demeanor brightened up when he saw Mikoto and bounded after his friend.

"What are you doing here, Kaa-san?" Sasuke grunted. Mikoto sighed and held out her package of bento boxes as an offering. Ever since his run in with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, her grumpy child had become even more moody and volatile. The bags under her child's eyes, his ever present scowl, and increased alertness made Mikoto want to grab her old gear and hunt down the snake sannin herself.

The attack by Orochimaru had affected the entire clan. The other shinobi clan members demanded blood, fearing for their own children. Itachi became even more withdrawn and stoic, a silent promise to take down the snake himself for daring to target his precious younger brother.

"I brought lunch." Mikoto motioned to Kakashi to join them on the ground. "It's time for a break don't you think Hatake-san?"

"Well, I don't see why not," the jonin instructor drawled out lazily. He slinked to the ground and tucked his novel away. Mikoto's cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she narrowed her eyes at him when she caught the title. She would have to have a talk with the man about his choice of reading material when he was suppose to be supervising thirteen year olds.

Mikoto handed out the boxes and chopsticks. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his mother when he spotted the cherry blossom motif on Sakura's wooden box. Catching the look of delight on Sakura's face he just rolled his eyes and tucked into his own meal.

"Do you think you could bring us ramen next time Mikoto-kaa?" Naruto smiled cheekily, rice on his cheeks. Sakura made a tutting noise and scolded him.

"Be grateful for what you get, Naruto."

"Hey, why are you the only one with bunny shaped apple slices?" Naruto whined, pointing rudely at Sakura's lunch with his chopsticks.

Sakura's cheeks turned a pink just a shade lighter than her own hair and she turned her box away from his view. Apples were her favorite and she had found the rabbit cut slices adorable but didn't want to be seen as childish.

"And the bunny shaped nori?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his mother. Sakura blushed a deeper shade of pink and scooted back towards the trunk. Sasuke had chosen to sit next to her and when Naruto made the comment he leaned in closer, his sleeve brushing against the skin of her upper arm.

Mikoto hid her grin behind a pale hand. Sakura's crush on her son was obvious but the subtle one he had on her was adorable. Mikoto noticed the small exceptions he seemed to only make for Sakura and ever since the chunin exams, Sasuke had been surprisingly more forward, choosing to spend time with Sakura even outside of training.

 _U-chi-ha Sa-ku-ra_ , Mikoto sang in her head. Everyday that she got to see the pink child the more she yearned for a closer relationship with her. She cursed her youngest son's attempts to keep his teammates away from their house. She couldn't understand what could be so embarrassing that he refused to bring them around.

"I just don't see it, Sakura-chan," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Hinata-chan is always passing out whenever I'm around. She's probably scared of me or something."

"Trust me, Naruto," Sakura huffed, tossing her head in a way reminiscent to the way she use to toss her long hair over her shoulder. "Just ask her out for some ramen or something."

"Hmm. I don't know," Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest, eyes shut as he thought deeply. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Sakura. "I'll ask her to get ramen with me if you come along too. We can make it a double date! Me and Hinata and you and the jerk over there."

Sakura's face was the exact same shade as her hair now and her jade eyes sparkled with excitement. It was the best idea Naruto had ever had. Mikoto clasped her hands together and bit her lower lip to hold back a squeal. It really was the best idea ever!

"Why would I want to do that?" Sasuke mumbled, propping his chin on his hands clasped in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees. "Don't include me in your stupid plans."

Sakura's face drooped and she mumbled in agreement. She pushed her bento box away and buried her face back into her book.

 _What just happened!?_ Mikoto looked back and forth between the teenagers incredulously. Didn't Sasuke _like_ Sakura? He was always walking her home and getting annoyed whenever Sakura's attention was on someone else. _Did I misconstrue something?_

"Whatever you jerk," Naruto threw a clump of grass in Sasuke's direction. "You never want to do anything fun. It's okay Sakura-chan, we can invite Kiba or Shino. I'm sure Team Eight would love to hang out with us 'cause we're awesome. They know how cool we are."

"You? Cool?" Sasuke sneered. "Yeah right, dobe."

"Sasuke!" Mikoto reprimanded. She frowned at her son, hands on her hips. Sasuke held his mother's stare before standing up and stomping away.

"Well, that could have gone better," Kakashi commented after having stayed quiet, pretending to have been disinterested the entire time.

 _Guess there's more work to do if I want an Uchiha Sakura_. Mikoto sighed and handed the tray of dango to Sakura, hoping to cheer her up.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: All of y'all have me gushing. I'm so glad that there is interest in this fic! I honestly had my doubts…**_

 _ **I decided to update the second chapter because I was bored at work and kind of sick of looking at it because I knew the more I looked at it the more I would put off updating ever lol**_

 _ **I do need to give a fair warning that this fic**_ _ **will**_ _**have fix-it tendencies due to it being a non-massacre fanfic**_

 _ **Also for anyone that's not a fan of NaruHina, even implied NaruHina─sorry! It's my favorite ship out of my fave Naru pairings (another heads up, if anyone was hoping for some slight NaruSaku you will never find it here, they are strictly a BrOTP of mine) and in fact all pairings will remain as canon with the exception of formerly deceased characters**_

 _ **As a heads up the fic may have a slow down in the updates after chapter four, so good news: there will possibly be two more chapters before Thursday! Bad news: updates will probably move to once a week but I will try to have two updates a week, I make no promises**_


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

It's not a rare occurrence in the Uchiha main house for the youngest member in the family to sleep in on a free day. Uchiha Sasuke loathed mornings and everyone in his family and his team members knew how horrible he was in them and gave him a wide-berth, avoiding his glares and bad mood whenever possible.

Yawning and rubbing his left eye with one fist, the other hand under his shirt scratching his stomach, Sasuke made his way into his kitchen expecting his mother and a late breakfast. He was not expecting his bleary eyes to catch a flash of pink crossing his line of vision.

Catching his foot on the low kitchen table, Sasuke muttered a curse. At the sound, his lone female teammate looked up from the mixing bowl she was so focused on moments before he entered the room. Sakura looked up at him dully and then back to her bowl.

"Oh. Hello, Sasuke-kun." Sakura turned her back on him, intent on ignoring his presence in his own kitchen.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, not one to talk as soon as he woke up. Crossing his kitchen to open the fridge for some juice, he nonchalantly watched his teammate acting at home in his kitchen. A normal occurrence for the past few months now that his mother was obsessed with learning how to bake sweets and discovered that Sakura helped out in her father's bakery.

Nearing fourteen, Sasuke was entering that part of puberty in which he was slowly inching in height further and further away from his other teammates. Naruto was growing at a much slower pace but it seemed that Sakura was going to stay tiny forever. He might as well have been towering over her at this point.

"Here." Sasuke reached over Sakura to hand her a white powder she was reaching for in an upper cabinet. She snatched it out of his hand, murmuring a small "thanks." Sasuke let out a sigh, already fed up with the day.

Sasuke was dreading this free day, the first free day after White Day. He knew eventually Sakura was going to be dragged into his home by his mother and he would have to face her in a setting outside of training. It was easy to ignore the way she avoided him when they only had to interact during training and missions but he couldn't pretend she didn't exist and that it didn't bother him that she was acting differently than usual when she was invading his space.

"When are you going to stop being mad?"

"I'm not mad!" Sakura snapped, a dull red smearing across her cheeks and nose.

"Sure you're not." Sasuke crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against the counter. He continued to watch her flit about. _Where's Kaa-san?_

"There's really nothing to be mad about so you don't have to concern yourself with my mood."

"I wasn't."

"Of course you weren't." Sakura's shoulders slumped and she turned her back on him once again. Keeping his eye on the white circle on her tunic top, Sasuke sighed inwardly. He hadn't tried to make the situation worse but he really had no idea how to talk to her properly.

 _What did I even do?_

* * *

 _For the first time ever, Naruto and Sakura had reached their meeting point at the bridge before Sasuke had. They were sitting down against the railing, Naruto watching intensely as Sakura tied a ribbon around a small box in her lap._

" _It was a nice attempt but no way in hell am I letting you give Hinata this box without a cute bow." Sakura lifted the box gingerly and dropped it gently into Naruto's waiting palms. Sasuke coughed, bringing his teammates' attention to his presence. "Hello, Sasuke-kun."_

" _Yo."_

 _Naruto jumped to his feet and circled Sasuke like a shark. He reached over and patted his pockets, earning him a thump to the back of his head._

" _What are you doing, loser?"_

" _Looking for your gift," Naruto whispered, cupping a hand to the side of his mouth dramatically. "I already gave Sakura-chan her White Day gift from me so where's yours?"_

" _Why would I get her anything, moron?"_

" _It's the polite thing to do! She gave you a Valentine's Day gift so you return the favor." Sasuke's eye twitched. Was the idiot really lecturing_ him _about manners? "I mean, even Rock Lee gave her a gift and I don't think she even gave him giri chocolates."_

 _Sasuke looked over at their pink haired teammate and saw an obnoxiously extravagant bouquet of flowers by her on the ground. Yamanaka definitely had a hand in the loud monstrosity, probably hoping Sakura would be impressed with the flowers and turn her affections away from Sasuke._

" _They're going to wither and die. Useless gift."_

" _They're not useless!" Sakura frowned, cradling her flowers as if Sasuke's words would cause them to shrivel up. "They're nice."_

" _Why even bother accepting them if you don't even like him?" Sasuke huffed, blowing air up at his bangs. " "You're just leading him on that way."_

" _There's nothing wrong with accepting flowers. They're pretty and it was a nice gesture." Sakura sniffed her bouquet turning away from him haughtily._

" _It's not a nice gesture if he expects something out of it. You're telling him he has a chance and that you're going to follow through on his advances. Ever wonder why I don't accept any of_ your _stupid flowers?"_

 _Naruto let out a loud gasp and Sakura opened her mouth and then shut it and then repeated the process. Her face had become as pink as her hair. Sasuke would never admit it to anyone but it was kind of cute when her face colored like that._

 _He would probably murder someone if anyone knew he used the word "cute" to describe anything._

" _I guess that makes sense," Sakura said softly and turned her back on her teammates. Naruto slapped the top of Sasuke's head and stomped away from him to console his other teammate. Sasuke sighed and leaned on the railing opposite them. He hadn't said anything wrong so he wasn't going to do anything about it._

* * *

Sasuke sighed and chanced a glance at his pink haired teammate. Her eyebrows were furrowed together causing lines to form on her larger-than-average forehead. Her plump pink lips were pursed together in annoyance and altogether she looked pretty adorable when upset.

 _Now I'm thinking things like adorable. Snap out of it!_

It wasn't that Sasuke couldn't see Sakura's appeal. He was a thirteen year old boy and had hormones just like all the other kids his age. He just wasn't going to act like the dead-last loser and rant about how pretty certain girls were. Sasuke wasn't blind, in fact he had better eyesight and was genetically disposed to have better observation skills and notice more than the average person. Sasuke knew just how pretty his little pink haired teammate was.

 _And she always smells good. Why does she always smell good?_

But Sasuke also understood the expectations placed on him as an Uchiha. Pretty, sweet, and smart as she was, Sakura wasn't an Uchiha. There was no point in putting each other through the inevitable heartbreak of separation once Sasuke had an arranged marriage partner. Sasuke just had to hope that a little kid crush would just go away after a while.

 _No matter how pretty she is…_

Sasuke reached over and brushed flour off of Sakura's cheek with his thumb. He hadn't meant to reach out to touch her but it was one of those things his body reacted to on it's own whenever she was around. Wide jade eyes peered up at him through light eyelashes and heat started to creep up his neck.

"Sorry for the wait, Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke dropped his hand from Sakura's face at the loud outburst from his mother. Sakura dropped the whisk she was holding with a loud clatter.

"So annoying," he mumbled. "Can't you be a little neater?"

"Stop being rude Sasu-chan," Mikoto sighed, donning her apron and tying up her hair in a high ponytail. "If you're not here to learn how to make Mont Blanc than you can head out. We're having girl time."

"Mont Blanc?" Sasuke wrinkled his nose. _What the hell is that?_

" _Monburan_ to you I guess, Sasu-chan. It's a chestnut cream cake." Mikoto rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Boys."

Sasuke's eye twitched at his mother's dismissal. She had been doing that a lot lately. Because of the Forest of Death incident months back and the Sand Invasion, Mikoto was even more overprotective than usual, which was already bordering on ridiculous, but in domestic settings she no longer coddled him with the same fervor. Sasuke glared at the most likely cause of this new rift between him and his mother.

"Something smells sweet."

Sasuke looks at the back door and watches his brother walk in with their cousin Shisui. They're both scratched up and dirty, back from a mission.

"Monburan, Itachi-nii-san." Sakura gestures to her mixing bowl, bashfully. Her cheeks are a delicate shade of pink and her eyes shimmered with something Sasuke can only assume was adoration due to the similar way jade eyes sparkled like they use to when directed at him only two weeks back.

 _What._

"Would you like some when the cake's done?" Sakura beams up at his older brother and a cold swooping sensation settles in his stomach. Sakura wasn't suppose to be looking at his eighteen year old brother like _that_. He was a deadly ANBU operative and too quiet and too...too...too _old_.

"Hey, shrimp." Shisui ruffled Sasuke's spiky hair, attempting to agitate the young teen. Sasuke slapped at his hand, not in the mood for Shisui and his antics.

"I would love some," Itachi replied politely, setting his bag on the floor by the door. "I didn't expect to see you around now that you're apprenticing with the Godaime."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the direction that the conversation was going. Sakura, skinny little pink thing, apprenticing with the _Hokage_? And not only that, but he hadn't even heard about it so how did _Itachi_ of all people know? Why was Sakura talking to his older brother? Why was his older brother talking to his teammate? And since when did Sakura call him _Nii-san_?

Something was up and Sasuke didn't like it all.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Hello! Here's chapter three~**_


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Something was different about Sakura. Yamanaka Ino wasn't as self absorbed as people thought. She was quite observant, especially when it came to her best friend and rival. And something was definitely up.

"You're making faces again, Forehead." Ino flicked Sakura on the forehead. Sakura would have normally been able to avoid getting hit but she was so focused on her book she wasn't aware of her surroundings. "I thought you were here to keep me company?"

Ino had to spend her free day helping out in her family's flower shop. She had somehow convinced Sakura to waste her free day helping her out. Not that she actually was going to help. Sakura had been studying since she stepped foot into the shop in the morning.

"I am keeping you company, Pig." Sakura rubbed her eyebrows with her thumb and index finger, finally putting her book down. "And I wasn't making faces."

"Yeah you were. You do it all the time when you're trying to memorize something in one of your giant books." Ino sighed and dusted off her apron. "You didn't even notice when Itachi-san walked in for his mother's order of lilies."

"Wait, Itachi-nii-san was here?" Sakura's eyes went wide and her cheeks turned a light pink in embarrassment. How could she not greet her crush's older brother?! He probably thought she was rude now. What a horrible impression to leave.

"Yes, Sakura." Ino rolled her eyes. "He stared at you for a bit, laughed, and then left. It's not fair that you know all the gorgeous guys. Why couldn't _I_ have been the one on the same team as Sasuke-kun?"

Ino always complained but she wasn't serious. Sure, Sasuke was good looking and so was Itachi but all they were good for was eye-candy. She knew how clan dynamics worked and she knew she would never have a shot with the clan heir as the heir to her own clan. The Uchiha were known to rarely marry outside of their clan. Plus, she never realized how boring Sasuke really was. All he did was train all day or fight with Naruto.

She was also kind of tired of squealing. After hearing other girls do it she started realizing how stupid she must have looked and sounded and her pride couldn't take looking so pathetic. She was way too pretty and smart to be following some guy around in a flock of fangirls. She was a catch and one day some guy would be the one following her around dammit!

Which brought her back to the Sakura issue. Sakura had held back on a lot of her obsessive crushing since their Land of Waves mission and calmed down even more after the Forest of Death. She was now even more far removed from the clingy girl she was before, but Ino could still see the way Sakura looked at Sasuke when she thought no one was looking. She could see the way Sakura snuck glances and turned bright pink when caught.

"What's up with you and Sasuke-kun?" Sakura opened her mouth to protest but Ino cut her off. "Don't lie to me! I know something's going on. Naruto said you guys have been acting all weird around each other ever since White Day. Man, and I thought he would get all jealous when he saw the flowers Lee got you. I worked _so_ hard on that bouquet."

"Ino!" Sakura flushed red. "You tried interfering? _What were you thinking?_ "

"It was just a little push!" Ino defended herself. "Shika said there had to be something going on between you two and I wanted to test it out. Who knew Sasuke-kun was such an idiot."

It wasn't all Shikamaru. Ino noticed things had been different after the chunin exams as well. She was observant of course. She thought she would feel jealous seeing Sasuke walk Sakura home after training and missions but instead of feeling sick or hurt, all she felt was a weird bubbling excitement in her stomach.

But she also felt utter irritation. Sure Sakura was tiny with no sex appeal but she was pretty with the greenest eyes ever and exotic pink hair. Ino's best friend was pretty and for all the greatness of the sharingan, Sasuke had to be blind not to notice.

 _But then again he_ is _friends with Naruto and_ he _still hasn't realized how much Hinata likes him. Maybe denseness is contagious? I should get Sakura checked out._

"You don't have to worry about me." Sakura packed up her books in her bag. "We should worry about Hinata. Poor girl has been going out to eat ramen almost every other day with that moron and he still thinks she only likes him as a friend. I'm worried about her sodium intake."

"Speaking of intake," Ino poked Sakura's stomach, "I've notice you don't diet anymore. Which is good. You really didn't need it. How do you expect to grow curves if all you are is skin and bones."

"Mikoto-san won't let me diet," Sakura mumbled, hefting her bag over her shoulder. "She says growing girls need more nutrition. She even spoke to my mom about it. Do you have any idea how long my mother lectured me about teens going through puberty needing to eat?"

"I do." Ino grimaced. She had already had that discussion with her mother the year before. She had already given up on that trend. Sort of. Her mother insisted that being an active ninja was enough exercise to keep her at her ideal weight and size. " _Your_ mom ended up speaking to _my_ mom about it. She warned her that I might be unhealthily dieting too. Luckily for me, my mom doesn't think I diet anymore, especially considering how often I go out to eat barbecue with Shika and Chouji."

"Well of course you wouldn't diet, you porker," Sakura teased. Inwardly she cringed. Ino was just so pretty and willowy, and she was already developing a lovely figure. Sakura was still waiting for a few inches to be added to her height. At this point the only member of the Konoha Twelve that was shorter than her was Hinata. And Hinata at least was curvy!

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ino clung onto Sakura's arm as she tried to exit the shop. "You were suppose to hang out with me today!"

"I have to go prepare for my team's sleepover." Sakura half dragged Ino out to the street. "Naruto leaves to go training with Jiraiya-san in two days. He won't be back for a while so we're having a sleepover."

"So Sasuke-kun's going to see you in your bunny pajamas?" Ino let go of Sakura so she could hold her sides as she burst out laughing.

"I grew out of those!" Sakura snapped, her face a tomato red color.

"You wore them when you spent the night at my place last week!" Ino gasped, tears in her eyes from laughing. "You should try and get sexier pajamas before he comes over."

"I'm barely fourteen and he's only thirteen. Nothing's going to happen!"

"Not with that attitude." Ino waved to her back as Sakura stomped away.

* * *

Itachi missed a lot of things about his brother from before he entered puberty. He missed how he would smile cutely and beg him to train with him in a way that made him look like a neglected puppy sometimes. He missed how he would call after him, "Nii-san! Nii-san!"

He missed when Sasuke didn't know how to breathe out fireballs. He especially missed when those fireballs weren't directed at him.

"He actually got you this time," Izumi giggled, fingering the singed part of the end of Itachi's ponytail.

"Well, the shrimp was going to land a hit eventually." Shisui yawned and pulled off his nin sandals to soak his feet in the lake. The three of them could usually be spotted spending any passing free time on the docks together. "The more shots he takes the more he lands."

"I guess he's over his brother complex," Izumi laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. She was still a little miffed that Sasuke never did warm up to her. She was sure he was only slightly more polite with her than Shisui because she was a girl. It shouldn't have bothered her so much but everyone liked her so she took it as a great insult that this one kid didn't. "Maybe his sneak attacks are payback for you declining all of his requests for spars?"

"He's never been this aggressive before," Itachi mumbled, barely paying attention to the conversation, lost in thought.

"When did it start?" Izumi took out a kunai and trimmed the burnt parts of Itachi's hair. _What a shame, his hair was so silky too_.

"About a few weeks back," Shisui answered, handing her over a carton box. "Here. From Haruno."

Izumi squealed and attacked the box. She gushed over how cute the little macaroons were. She set aside the cherry ones for herself since they were the cutest and were pink.

"Oh my Gods," Itachi groaned smacking himself on the forehead. "Haruno!"

"What about Sakura-chan?" Izumi asked through a stuffed mouth. Shisui made a face at her and Izumi stuck her tongue out at him.

"My brother is a moron." Itachi shook his head and chewed on a macaroon. He was slowly becoming addicted to the baked goods from Spring's Blossom Bakery and the little Haruno wasn't helping by bringing over sweets and treats for him and his mother.

Itachi was growing a soft spot for Sakura. Ever since he found out exactly what happened in the Forest of Death he had newfound gratitude towards the girl for protecting his little brother and helping him through the first moments of the cursed seal. He also wasn't blind to how happy she seemed to make his mother. Really happy. If he were anyone else, a certain teenage boy, he would probably have been jealous. But Itachi wasn't particularly close with either one of his parents. And he could share his brother's attention, if things were going the way he thought they might.

"Not that it's news that your brother is a moron." Shisui smirked at the glare Itachi sent his way. Only Itachi could talk about his brother that way. "But why is he a moron this time?"

"He's a moron," Itachi huffed, "because he's a jealous brat."

Izumi and Shisui's eyes went wide and then at the serious expression on Itachi's face they burst out laughing.

* * *

Sakura posed in front of her floor length mirror, hands on her hips. She twirled side to side and fingered the hem of her tunic styled camisole. She decided to heed Ino's warning and ditched the top of her flannel bunny pajamas and replaced it with a plain white tank top. She kept the bottoms since they were the longest bottoms she owned and wearing tiny shorts in front of her male teammates was pushing it.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto banged on her bedroom door. "Are you going to make us sleep in the hall?"

"I was getting changed, be patient!" Sakura ripped her door open and gaped at Naruto. "Do you really wear a cap to sleep?"

"What's wrong with my cap?" Naruto grumbled pushing past her. Sasuke snorted and followed after him. Out of the three he had the plainest sleepwear, a pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt.

They had spent most of the evening playing cards and board games. It was a simple night in but Naruto was content. It beat hanging out in an empty apartment and Sasuke refused to let them stay the night in the Uchiha compound, mainly because he didn't want Naruto to mess around in his room.

"I wanna sleep in the middle!" Naruto launched his body onto the bed, crashing into Sakura in the process. Naruto had insisted that they all sleep on the same bed while they were still small enough to fit altogether. He had underestimated how big he and Sasuke actually were

"Idiot," Sasuke scolded, dragging Naruto off the bed by his legs and climbing into bed. Naruto exclaimed in protest but Sasuke stubbornly kept his place in between his two teammates, the same place he took on missions when it was freezing and they needed to huddle for warmth. Naruto had a habit of cuddling with whatever was closest and for some reason it bothered Sasuke more when the blond moron tried to snuggle with their female teammate than when he clung onto him at night. But just barely. He still wasn't a fan of being touched.

Naruto turned out the light and climbed into Sakura's bed, grumbling about jerks and unfairness.

"Hi," Sakura whispered. After Sasuke had adjusted his body to get to the most comfortable position he realized just how close his face was to hers. Noses almost touching, he was close enough to count the almost invisible freckles that dusted Sakura's cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

Swallowing, Sasuke returned the greeting. He cursed to himself when his voice came out hoarse and a little strangled. Sasuke scooted back, away from her and ran into Naruto.

"Hey! You're going to push me off asshole!" Naruto kicked at Sasuke's legs until Sasuke moved back to his original position. Luckily for him, Sakura had turned so her back was facing him.

 _She's got freckles on her shoulders too…_

Sasuke fisted the sheet in his hand and gritted his teeth. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: No Mikoto this chapter but she'll be back in the next one!**_

 _ **By the way you guys are so awesome, I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic so far. You have no idea how fuzzy I get inside when one of you reviews saying you like where this fic is going so far.**_

 _ **So that's all the chapters that have already been written, I'm currently still writing chapter five. I think there will be about one or two chapters after that one and then a timeskip? We'll see.**_

 _ **There will now be a more relaxed update schedule. I'm able to write a lot at work so hopefully I can do a twice a week update. Heads up, I am chronically ill (y'all probably can now figure out why my username is what it is) and suffer from the craziest fatigue so sometimes updates may be late due to the fact that I'm too lethargic and possibly...well asleep because that's the only way my body can handle anything.**_

 _ **Expect Chapter Five on either Sunday or Monday depending on how far into Chapter Six I write or if I'm in the middle of a flare up or something.**_

 _ **I feel like I sort of ambushed all of you with all of these updates this week, for that I apologize. I cringe sometimes, feeling like I'm just forcing this fic into your alerts or something.**_


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

There were very few moments Sasuke ever felt jealous of Naruto. Like when he showed the ability to summon a frog. When he saved Sakura from Gaara. Now, when his mother is fawning all over him.

"I expect a letter _at least_ once a week," Mikoto chides Naruto in advance as she gives him yet another "last" embrace. "I bought you all of that frog printed stationery for a reason."

"Of course, Mikoto-kaa!" Naruto chirped causing Sasuke to roll his eyes. "I'll write everyday, believe it!"

 _Kiss up_ , Sasuke thought bitterly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Sure the moron was his friend but did he have to come see him off? It's way too early in the day to be up unless there was a mission or training.

"Sweet! Snacks!" Naruto exclaimed as Sakura handed over her going away present, a box of treats from her father's bakery and senbei from Sasuke's uncle's shop. The moron _is_ his friend. He's not going to _not_ give him something.

Which is why he also gave him a new set of kunai and shuriken the day before when no one could see him giving him a going away present.

"Hey, jerk." Naruto approached Sasuke with his arms spread wide. Sasuke's eyes widened in panic.

"No."

"Come on. I won't see you for a long time. One hug."

"Stay away from me, loser." Sasuke sidestepped as Naruto launched his body at him. Naruto face planted with a loud thud.

"You're an asshole, you know that," Naruto complained, brushing himself off. He pouted and walked over to Sakura to give her a hug instead. He leaned in to whisper in her ear and she turned bright red before punching him.

 _He just won't quit_. Heat creeped up Sasuke's neck. He knew exactly what Naruto had said to set Sakura off. Naruto had been badgering the two of them all yesterday about what had happened before he had woken up. He hadn't believed Sakura's excuse for the rude wake up call and for good reason. Sakura's a really bad liar.

"I wonder why Hinata isn't here?" Sakura looked around as if her question could summon the tiny Hyuga.

"Oh, she said good-bye yesterday outside of Ichiraku's, well tried to I think. There was some mumbling which is weird 'cause I swear she was getting better with that. She said something about not being able to see me off," Naruto explained. "She gave me some of her special ointment for my trip."

"The Hyuga probably wouldn't let her come today," Mikoto's voice took on a cold tone. It was no surprise that she wouldn't find it acceptable how they tried to keep the little heiress away from friends they believed were inappropriate, mainly Naruto. Her cold demeanor also had a little bit to do with the animosity between the two clans.

Sasuke sighed at the icy stare his mother was wearing. It wasn't a new expression. She wore it around the compound all of the time when clan members whispered amongst themselves whenever Naruto visited.

"Itaaaaachiiii!"

Sasuke looked toward the gate as it was the direction that Naruto was looking at and there was his brother, coming toward them.

"You came back from your mission just in time to see me off!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear. Sasuke swore Naruto was going to end up breaking his face one day from smiling so much and so widely.

"Oh, you're leaving today?" Itachi teased, earning himself a pout from Naruto. No one needed to know that he did in fact come back from his mission just in time to see the hyperactive blond off. It was just coincidence when he did nice things for his little brother's friends. Yes, coincidence.

"Time to go kid," Jiraiya, who had been waiting patiently by the side, informed Naruto.

The small group seeing Naruto off watched as Naruto became a speck against the colors of the early morning. He kept turning back to wave to all of them. They all waved back when he did but after a while they all got tired of indulging him since he wouldn't stop turning to wave until he could no longer see them.

"I have to go see Tsunade-sama now," Sakura announced after a while of watching the empty road.

"I need to report in as well," Itachi smiled softly down at her. "I'll walk with you."

"I'll come with you guys," Sasuke said, falling into step right in between the two of them. Mikoto brought up the rear, giggling into her hand at her son's actions.

"Are you sure?" Itachi smirked to himself. He caught Sasuke glaring at him every now and then through his peripheral. "Wouldn't you rather go home and sleep some more before you have to head to training? You did get up pretty early today."

"No. I'm not a kid that can't train on a few hours of sleep. I'll just get an early start today, Aniki," Sasuke snapped at him. Itachi had to hold back a smile, hiding his amusement. He was still getting use to no longer being called _Nii-san_ by his brother, who seemed to have a new aversion to the word.

"Or you can help your dear mother with some errands," Mikoto cut in. It had been a while since she had some mother-son time and she could use some help with bags. Sasuke was also the perfect candidate to join her on her mission to the Harunos' bakery. She still hadn't seen Sakura's father and she was getting even more and more curious as the days went by. And no doubt there would be _some_ benefit to Sasuke meeting the man, especially in his mother's presence. He was more likely to be on his best behavior then.

Sasuke stiffened up and looked at his mother and then to his brother and then back to his mother. He wasn't averse to the idea of helping his mother but he also wasn't interested in the task. Sasuke wanted to follow his brother and his teammate. But he really didn't have a good enough reason to excuse himself _and_ still continue to walk with them.

"I will join you on your errands, Kaa-san," Sasuke sighed. He glared one last time at his older brother before following his mother down a different street.

* * *

The silence was awkward. Sakura was a chatty person and walking alone with someone as subdued as Uchiha Itachi made her nervous.

Sakura was use to walking with someone in silence. Sasuke barely spoke and would sometimes give her an irritated look when she babbled too much. The difference though was that with Sasuke, excitement bubbled in her chest and she felt butterflies in her stomach just being in his presence.

Itachi made her feel like she had to be on alert at all times, wary that she was being silently judged. It was a peculiar feeling considering Itachi was a kind person, but at the same time it put her on edge. He was Sasuke's favorite person, and she wanted to be liked by Sasuke's favorite person very much.

"Did something happen with my little brother, Sakura-san?"

Sakura stiffened up at the sound of his voice. She hadn't expected for him to say anything as they made their way to the Hokage tower. She especially didn't expect _that_ type of question.

"W-what do you mean?" Sakura laughed nervously. "What makes you think something happened?"

"Something Naruto said yesterday made me curious," Itachi replied, the corners of his mouth lightly tugging upwards.

 _I'm going to kill that idiot the next time I see him!_

"You shouldn't listen to anything Naruto says. Nothing happened."

"You're a terrible liar you know that," Itachi chuckled softly. "A bad trait in a ninja," Sakura deflated at that, "but a good trait in a person. You're a very honest young lady."

Sakura blushed and looked at her feet. On one hand she had mixed feelings, both good and bad, for the small comment but on the other hand there was no way she was going to tell Itachi that his brother was a cuddler. She had woken up in a tight embrace, Sasuke using her as a body pillow. The more she tried to escape before he woke up the tighter he held on, grumbling in the process.

Itachi hadn't heard anything from Naruto. He thought it was more likely to find out about his brother's odd behavior the day before if he made it seem like he knew more than he actually did. Itachi had assumed Sasuke's flustered behavior had to have been a result of having slept over at Sakura's house for Naruto's going away party with his team.

A small, rather miniscule, sadistic part of Itachi wanted more fodder to tease Sasuke with. It was starting to become much more amusing now that he was older. He also wanted to be able to tease him while Sasuke still couldn't match him in skill as some of his responses to being teased now involved flinging kunai at his older brother.

"Nothing happened, Itachi-nii-san," Sakura turned a deep shade of pink, matching her hair. "Really."

"Okay," Itachi said in a mock disappointed tone. "You can speak to me about anything. You do know that, right?"

"Yes." Sakura beamed up at him. Although Itachi made her nervous at times, he had been a good source of comfort a few weeks back when she was feeling down after the incident with Sasuke and Lee's flowers. Once she did get talking, he was a fantastic listener and gave wonderful advice.

It was like having an older brother, which made her feel warm inside at the thought. Naruto made up for her being an only child by playing the younger brother role in her life but it was nice to have someone that was like an older sibling.

 _Sasuke-kun's so lucky to have such a nice big brother._

* * *

Sasuke never felt as unfortunate to have an older brother as he did in this moment.

Usually, there was very little Sasuke wasn't willing to do if it meant his mother would be happy. Usually that meant running her errands or drinking tea with her in the afternoons instead of training or sitting on the engawa and listening to her chatter as she worked in the garden. So holding her bags as she ran errands in the market and merchant district wasn't that big of a deal.

Except it completely was because it left Sakura and his older brother alone together.

Sasuke already had the suspicion that Sakura might have turned her affections to his brother. She had just became somewhat bearable, no longer clingy or excessively fawning, and he was starting to enjoy her company. She was unnervingly smarter than he was so sometimes when she talked about something she was studying or researching, especially about medical ninjutsu, he could only nod at appropriate moments but it was still better than her pestering him for dates.

Sasuke didn't like the feeling in his stomach when he thought of his pink haired teammate fawning and smiling sweetly at his older brother. He wasn't sure if it had to do with his slight, miniscule, possibly there feelings he was slowly developing for her or if it was because of the unsettling reality that most girls seem to only see him as an Uchiha or Itachi's little brother and not as Sasuke, the individual.

Sakura was suppose to be the exception to the rule. She saw him at his worst, at his weakest. He had to acknowledge the fact that she truly cared for him, even willing to put herself in harm's way for him, something he only ever thought his family or even Naruto would ever do. The warm feeling in his chest he got when he thought about her wasn't something he wanted anyone else to feel when they thought about her.

Besides the chance that Sakura may be developing feelings for Itachi, Sasuke didn't want them alone together because it made it easier for Itachi to get information out of her. Information regarding a certain incident the other day that he didn't want anyone to find out about.

Sasuke knew that Itachi already had suspicions that something had happened in the Haruno household. Even now, Sasuke felt shame at not being able to hide how flustered and confused he was at waking up, limbs wrapped around Sakura. She was soft and smelled like something floral and fresh linens and when Sasuke was in the backyard walking amongst the sheets his mother had hung on the clothesline to dry, his ears burned red from the memory of clinging onto her like she was his old stuffed dinosaur toy.

Sasuke thought he was good at hiding how he felt, adopting the impassive mask he had been working on for a while. It worked well with his mother and father when he did get a chance to see his father, usually at mealtimes.

Itachi was an entirely different case. He seemed to know exactly what Sasuke was thinking or feeling. There was not much he could hide from his older brother and Sasuke didn't like the gleam in Itachi's eyes when he caught him bumbling around the hung laundry.

Itachi was most likely going to be able to find a way to worm anything out of Sakura. Sakura was smart but a terrible liar and most likely would snap under Itachi's stare or something and give him the information he wanted. That or Itachi could just smile at her, which would charm her little fangirl heart, and she would do anything he asked, like give up any information that could potentially be used to tease and torment Sasuke.

Sasuke felt nauseous just thinking about that. He was pretty sure his queasy stomach had more to do with picturing pretty blushes and jade eyes quivering in adoration _at his older brother of all people_ than the sickeningly sweet smell that wafted about the store his mother just walked into.

"Irasshaimase!" A deep bass voice shouted out making Sasuke jump at the loudness.

Looking up at the man behind the counter, it took every ounce of control Sasuke had to not let his jaw drop.

 _Is that suppose to be a starfish or something...?_

A big, burly man with dull pink hair, almost a mauve color, beamed at his store's guests from behind a display case loaded with different pastries. His hair was fashioned into five pointed spikes around his head in an odd almost star shaped pattern.

"How can I help you?" He grinned, crossing his arms on top of the case and leaning forward. Something about his smile and the air about him reminded Sasuke of Naruto.

Unlike her son, Mikoto's jaw did drop. She was quick enough to catch it and smiled politely at the man. She pointed out to a different assortment of treats for him to box up and when he turned his back to her, Mikoto's eyes bulged out as she recognized the shape of his hair.

 _A cherry blossom!_ Mikoto bit her lip trying to hold back any laughter from escaping past her lips. She eyed her son and noticed that his eyes had gone wide too.

"Guess we know where the pink came from now," she whispered to him, startling him out of his reverie as he seemed heavily distracted by the spectacle in front of him.

"Pink?" Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and then snapped high up as it dawned on him who his mother could be referring to. Sasuke hadn't met the Haruno patriarch the other night due to him being away on a mission. The parent he and Naruto usually spoke to or met in passing with Sakura was Mebuki, Sakura's mother. And although she shared the same eye color with her daughter, she was a blonde. "Why are we at the Harunos' bakery?"

 _And how have I not seen that ridiculous hairstyle around the village before?_

"I just happen to like the sweets from here." Mikoto smiled sweetly at her son and then, turning up the brightness of her smile just a little more, she turned to Sakura's father and said, "They're my favorite."

 _I guess pink can be cute on boys too_ , Mikoto thought, thinking about the high probability she could end up with a grandson instead of a granddaughter.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to the guest that tripped over their rug. I hope it was a small stumble and you're okay 3**_

 _ **Okay, I lied. Y'all get an update on Saturday instead. I have zero patience lol also it's my dad's birthday so I'm going to be busy running around today so I will probably be sleeping most of tomorrow so I might forget?**_

 _ **I have started on Chapter Six so it could be posted late on Monday or early Tuesday.**_

 _ **I feel like these chapters are short...should I lengthen them?**_

 _ **Also spoiler, but not really: if I get really far enough into this to introduce children I WILL be keeping Sarada. I adore her and we should save her from Ikemoto.**_


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter 6**

A month. An entire month went by and Mikoto hadn't seen even one single strand of Sakura's pink hair. Sighing, Mikoto put away her family's groceries. She shuffled around her kitchen with sluggish steps.

It was expected but it still dimmed Mikoto's mood whenever another day passed and she still didn't get a chance to even _see_ the pink haired girl. She missed spending time with her. Mikoto even had a hard time enjoying any sweets since they brought flashes of sweet smells that wafted around her kitchen and pleasant chatter.

"What's the punishment for kidnapping again?"

"Jail, Mikoto. You will be put in jail. For a long time," Fugaku answered without looking up from his paper. He had come home to have lunch with Mikoto but decided to read his newspaper instead since his usually peppy wife just kept mumbling to herself and sighing. "And if you're talking about the Haruno child I suggest against any attempts. According to your son, she's now smashing craters into the ground with her bare fists. For your safety, please refrain from any type of approach she may find threatening."

"Which son?"

"I beg pardon?"

"According to which son?" Mikoto breathed out. She was also running low on patience these days. Fugaku put down his paper and raised an eyebrow at her. Sighing deeply he answered her.

"Sasuke. He _is_ the son that's her teammate." Fugaku opened up his paper to peruse its contents again.

 _Still just a teammate_ , Mikoto sighed inwardly. She knew they were only fourteen but she was hoping her child would show some interest in the pretty pink girl. She couldn't help but dream of a future surrounded by beautiful babies with ebony locks and emerald eyes. She couldn't help but fantasize about how lovely a spring wedding would be. All fantasies that her youngest child was ruining. She didn't understand how he didn't see the charm his sweet teammate had.

"Mikoto." Fugaku's voice snapped her out of her daydream. "You're doing it again. Need I remind you that the Wedding March is a foreign custom? We are not residents of some far, far away land."

Mikoto glared at the upward turn of her husband's lips. She knew he was only teasing her. He had caught her humming the tune the other day while working on her embroidery and would take any opportunity to remind her of it. Mikoto usually loved when she could make her stern faced husband smile but not when it was at her expense.

"I must head back to the office." Fugaku rose from the kitchen's low table and kissed his wife's temple. Mikoto smiled beatifically, enjoying the sweet affection her husband showered her with when they were in private.

As she watched her husband leave, Mikoto wondered if maybe her youngest was more like his father than she originally believed and she believed they were quite similar already. Maybe he was just more private about his feelings. She might have missed something. Oh she hoped she missed something.

* * *

Ino was creeping Sakura out. She had been giving her this wide, misty-eyed smile for the past hour that they had been studying. It was really starting to freak her out.

"Pig." Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her eyebrows with her thumb and index finger. "I thought you were interested in becoming a medic-nin. You haven't been studying. At all."

"You really expect me to focus on learning anatomy after seeing you and _the_ Uchiha Sasuke being all chummy?"

"You're reading too much into things. Like usual." Sakura rolled her eyes and went back to her reading. She wasn't going to entertain Ino's latest musings. "He was just being polite. He helped carry these books here because that's something _teammates_ do for each other."

Sakura had bumped into Sasuke on her way to Ino's house to help her study. Ino became interested in medical-ninjutsu after a mission Team Ten and the remaining members of Team Seven had been on. She was slightly jealous of Sakura's new skills and refused to be left behind and decided to study as well. She was slightly put off by the fact that she was Sakura's junior but was thrilled by the fact that it was something they could train for together.

But Ino wasn't interested in learning about the human body right now. She was more interested in learning about the status of Sakura's relationship with Sasuke. She _might_ have made a bet with Naruto before he left that the two of them would start dating before he came back. Naruto didn't think it was possible, claiming Sasuke was clueless when it came to anything about girls. Ino was irritated at how easily Naruto could say that about someone else and not realize he was just as bad.

"Yeah, right."

"Shikamaru helps you out all of the time and I'm not accusing you two of being _chummy_."

"That bum does things for me so that I'll shut up and stop bothering him and you know it." Ino rolled her eyes. Sakura was making her do that a lot lately. "Enough of this. We need a break. Let's go to a café. We can pick up some books from the bookstore so I can have my own on our way back," Ino added after Sakura frowned at her.

Sighing, Sakura gave in to Ino. Mentally, she promised there would be a tougher study plan when they got back. Ino was brilliant and usually focused but was so easily distracted when she wanted girl talk.

Sakura wished there really was something to talk about. There was some changes to her relationship with Sasuke but it wasn't much and definitely wasn't leading to the type of relationship she wished they would have. But although it wasn't of the romantic nature, the few changes did make her quite happy.

Sakura spent most of her time training with Tsunade or working at the hospital. She loved that she found something she was good at and training gave her a sort of satisfaction that it had never done before. She looked forward to the grueling work, knowing that she was catching up to her teammates.

Because she was busy apprenticing with Tsunade, Sakura rarely got a chance to train with Kakashi and Sasuke. She mainly saw them when she joined them on missions or when they came to report to the Hokage. She cherished the time she did get to spend with them, especially now that Sasuke seemed more intent on listening to her chatter. He seemed to be interested in what was going on with her life now that she wasn't around as much. Sasuke would ask her questions about medical-ninjutsu, a topic Sakura loved to discuss. Sakura's favorite moments were when he would walk with her whenever they were heading toward the same direction.

It wasn't much but Sakura was content. She could easily say that they were friends and she was happy with that. For now.

"Oh, perfect!" Ino pulled a book from a shelf. "I thought they were all like those heavy, dusty tomes you lug around all of the time."

"They're not that heavy."

"Not all of us have monster strength." Ino rolled her eyes again. She should get a counter to figure out how often she was doing that now. "You probably use chakra as a boost to carry all of those around."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura waved a hand at her and shuffled along to other shelves. "Oh, excuse me."

Sakura maneuvered around a pale boy with inky black hair and eyes that gave her a strange smile. Unnerved by his odd smile, Sakura smiled back nervously before browsing the shelf again.

"Was that an Uchiha?" Ino whispered, shielding her face from the stranger with her book. "He looks a little bit like Sasuke-kun."

"I don't think so. He didn't have the clan's crest on any of his clothing."

"He was so cute," Ino squealed. Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head. She hooked her arm with Ino's and dragged her away.

"Come on. We're going to be late for training."

* * *

Sometimes when it was too quiet, Sasuke missed his blond, idiot friend. He missed brawling with Naruto and getting into pointless arguments. Sasuke admired his older brother greatly but there was something missing in their relationship that he found in Naruto. Sasuke loved Itachi and would always look up to him but sometimes he was too much of a big brother to be his friend.

Exhausted from training, Sasuke lied down in the grass field of the training ground and pulled a folded up piece of frog printed paper out of his pocket. He scoffed at the greeting. Naruto always started with an insulting name.

 _Bastard,_

 _Why don't you write more!? Gods, you suck. Why can't you be more like Sakura-chan? She writes me at least three pages and her writing is_ tiny _! I thought your writing would be better than your talking but just barely. I can't believe you actually wrote "Hn." in your last letter. You were just fucking with me, right? RIGHT?_

Sasuke rolled his eyes. It really was too easy to mess with the moron even when he was far away.

 _Well, whatever. Sakura-chan says you guys are thinking about taking the next chunin exam in Suna. I should be back by then. It's not for another nine months, right? Don't you guys dare take the exam without me! You better not get promoted without me, got it jerk? I'm training really hard. I'm sure I'm WAY stronger than you now. So don't take the exam until I get back. You're going to need me in case you get in trouble again._

 _Speaking of Sakura-chan...you guys aren't smooching during training now that I'm not around are you? No smooching when I get back! I don't wanna see that! GROSS!_

Sasuke's eye twitched. He had no clue where Naruto got the idea that there was anything going on with him and Sakura. Before Naruto had left he had insinuated that he thought something was going on by giving him weird smiles and waggling his eyebrows whenever he saw them standing too close to each other. He only stood close to her in the case that he needed to protect her from something. It was like a pre-emptive defensive move. That was all.

 _I bet she's getting really pretty now. I asked her to take a picture of you guys and send it with her next letter but I don't think she'll do it. Can you do it? I miss you guys. Well, I miss Sakura-chan more than you of course._

 _Can't wait to spar when I get back._

 _Naruto_

 _P.S. Sakura-chan might have mentioned something about Hinata-chan growing her hair out...maybe you could get a picture of her for me? I'm just curious as to why Sakura made a big deal about it of course! So...please?_

"He's such an idiot," Sasuke mumbled and folded up his letter and stuffed it in his pocket again. Like he was going to go take a picture of Hyuga of all people. Why couldn't he just ask her directly? Sasuke knew he was in correspondence with her. A random toad had popped on her head, carrying a scroll, when he saw her walking with her team on his way to the training fields.

Sasuke sat cross-legged and forming his hands into fists he touched their knuckles together and tried to make his mind blank and focus only on his breathing. He was able to get nice and relaxed but a cheerful voice broke through his meditative state.

"Was that a love letter, shrimp?" Shisui plopped down on the ground next to his baby cousin. Sasuke looked up beyond him and saw Itachi and Izumi approaching from a distance. He had shunshin over to get a head start on messing with Sasuke.

"It's just a letter from my teammate."

"Oh, the little cutie?"

"It's not from Sakura," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, eye twitching. Shisui wasn't the only cousin of his to have mentioned how "cute" she was and it was starting to bug him.

"Who said anything about Sakura-chan? You have two teammates don't you?" Shisui teased. Heat crawled up Sasuke's neck.

"I would only assume you wouldn't call someone that perpetually smells like ramen a 'cutie'. Plus, he's a _guy_ ," Sasuke replied hotly.

"Gender isn't important." Shisui waved his hand to signal the end of the conversation as Izumi and Itachi reached them.

"Were you meditating?" Itachi asked as he joined them on the ground. Izumi followed, tucking her legs underneath her bottom and leaning against Itachi's back.

"I was trying to," Sasuke mumbled, shooting a glare at Shisui. Although Sasuke had no wish to use the cursed seal Orochimaru branded him with, it still caused some discomfort and irritation. Kakashi had sealed it but Sasuke had to be determined not to use it. So far everything was fine. Except the slight discomfort every now and then.

Itachi was trying to find a way to get rid of it completely. So far their best bet was to capture Orochimaru and get information on removing the seal but the snake sannin proved to be much more elusive than the Uchiha had originally thought.

"So how is Naruto?" Itachi leaned back, pushing against Izumi causing her to fold inward on herself. She protested and begged Shisui for help. He laughed at her discomfort before pulling her away into his lap and confining her in a playful headlock.

"He's fine. He wants Sakura and I to wait for him before we take the chunin exam." Sasuke chose to ignore the older teens' playful flirting. It was starting to get harder for him to tell who was dating who among the three of them. He heard rumors from the older teens in the clan that Izumi was Itachi's girlfriend but Sasuke couldn't really tell since the two of them were always with Shisui.

"Don't you want to wait for your teammate, Sasuke-kun?" Izumi was now attached to Shisui's arm. This is what made it hard for Sasuke to believe she was dating Itachi. If Sakura did that with Naruto he wouldn't have been comfortable with that.

 _Wait. What?_

"I would rather enter the exam with my squad but if the loser isn't back in time we're going to have to take on another member."

"You don't need to rush and become a chunin, Sasuke," Itachi tried to reason with his brother.

Sasuke frowned at his brother and started to pluck the grass in irritation. He was already far behind his older brother who had made Anbu at eleven. Sasuke was a prodigy in his own right but he still remained in Itachi's shadow. He just wanted to become a chunin and enter the Konoha Police Force while working his way to jonin.

It was too bad he couldn't enter the chunin exams on his own without a team like Itachi had. He wouldn't have to wait for Naruto or Sakura to be ready but nonetheless, Sasuke knew it would be to his advantage to at least wait for Sakura because there would be a capable medic-nin teamed up with him.

"I can't join the police force without becoming a chunin first," Sasuke mumbled. He tried to ease his breathing to cool his irritation. When his mood spiked, he would sometimes feel a sharp pain where his cursed seal was located. Izumi started giggling which didn't help his mood. "What's so funny?"

"I just realized that you want to be a police officer and Sakura-chan wants to be a doctor. That's kind of cute," Izumi explained which caused Shisui to snicker.

"More like kinky. It just screams uniform fetish," Shisui joked earning him a punch on the arm from Izumi.

"I gotta go," Sasuke said quickly and rose to his feet to walk away. Why was he surrounded by perverts? First Naruto and Kakashi and now even his own relatives.

"What? No request for a spar today?" Itachi asked pleasantly. He had let Izumi and Shisui mess with Sasuke today but he couldn't resist teasing his brother a little. "Or would you rather save your energy for your new sparring partner, hm? Must be fun dodging chakra infused fists. Not what I would call a good date activity though."

Itachi jumped up from the ground, dodging one of Sasuke's shuriken. It really was too easy to mess with Sasuke. All he had to do was allude to a certain pink haired kunoichi to get his little brother all flustered.

* * *

It took a while for Haruno Mebuki to become accustomed to receiving attention from someone from such prestigious a clan as the Uchiha, but Uchiha Mikoto was such a kindhearted woman she couldn't resist her attempts to befriend her. Mikoto was so humble and down to earth that sometimes it was easy to forget that she was the wife of a clan head.

"It really is quite beautiful but we cannot accept such an expensive kimono, Mikoto-san," Mebuki tried to politely decline Mikoto's gift for her daughter. She knew that the Uchiha woman had a soft spot for her daughter but there really was no reason for her to buy expensive gifts for Sakura.

Mikoto calmly took a sip from her tea and gave her a sweet smile, the one she used on her own husband and children when she wanted them to do something. The gift wasn't completely from the goodness of her heart since she was gifting it partially because she wanted a chance to see Sakura and a kimono would be a nice sight but also because she was hoping that Sakura would wear it in the near future for a special occasion, possibly involving the Uchihas.

"Oh, please do accept it. I was purchasing fabric for a kimono of my own and couldn't resist when I noticed that this particular shade of green and the gold detailing would look magnificently on Sakura-chan."

It was true. Mikoto was mesmerized when she noticed the pale green was almost an exact match for the color of Sakura's eyes and the gold trim reminded her of the gold flecks in them.

"Besides, every girl should have a kimono handy," Mikoto tried to reason. "You never know when an occasion may call for one. Sakura-chan is the apprentice of the Godaime and may need to dress accordingly when they meet diplomats, or maybe she would attend a wedding, or an omiai…"

"Omiai?!" Mebuki laughed heartily. "I'm sorry, Mikoto-san. I don't mean to laugh but we're a small civilian clan so we don't usually set up our children on omiais. Also, Sakura is only fourteen. Even if she agreed to have an omiai we wouldn't propose the idea until she was at least sixteen."

"Sixteen!?" Mikoto was a little shocked. In larger clans like the Uchiha, partners were found as early as thirteen. Itachi was a slight exception even though he was the future clan head because it was believed he was dating Izumi, a distant cousin that Mikoto approved of despite the fact that her father wasn't an Uchiha. Fugaku didn't interfere, powerful man as he was, because his wife's temper was not to be messed with. Sasuke was excluded only because Mikoto had her heart set on Haruno Sakura and insisted that her husband decline any requests from the clan elders for Sasuke to have omiais with Uchiha girls of their choosing.

"It's fascinating how different our families are," Mebuki said cheerfully. She ran a hand over the silk of the green kimono. Her daughter really would look charming in it. "I will hold on to this and let Sakura decide whether to accept it or not. She probably will knowing it would please you, she likes you so much."

"Will she be home soon? I would love to see her try it on."

"I'm not sure," Mebuki sighed. "She's always training nowadays. It's nice that she has something she loves to do but sometimes I wish she would be content with her shinobi rank as it is and just pursue a career as a doctor. We barely see her."

"I went through the same thing with my boys. Itachi's always been independent and an introvert and Sasuke's always wanted to be like his brother and is always trying hard to earn approval from his father so he's off to train all of the time. They're so uncute." Mikoto checked the charming little cuckoo clock on the wall of Mebuki's kitchen. It was getting pretty late in the day. Sighing she rose from the table and bowed politely. "I must be off. Let's have tea again on Friday?"

"Sure of course!" Mebuki got up to see her off. "Maybe I can convince Sakura to join us. I swear I only see her as she drags herself in to shower and sleep lately. She owes me some of her time, I am her mother."

Mikoto had to fight the urge to embrace the woman. It really had been so long since she last saw the pink haired girl. The sooner she could get her son and Sakura married the better. Then she would be able to see her all of the time around the compound and when she invited them over for family meals.

 _I just need to wait two more years_ , Mikoto thought to herself. _Two more years...and that's just for an engagement._

Mikoto sighed and made her way down the street trying not to let her mood dim even further. In her daze she almost missed the flash of pink ducking under the flaps of a food stand. Mikoto couldn't believe her luck and approached the ramen stand hoping to be able to have some conversation with Sakura. She was about to lift the flap to enter when she heard her youngest son's voice.

"I don't understand why we eat here when the dobe isn't here."

"Naruto would appreciate it if we came here. Doesn't it feel like he's still around."

"It _smells_ like he's still around. And he's not dead. We don't have to come to Ichiraku's like if it's in his memory."

"Fine. I just wanted ramen then."

Mikoto back pedaled away from the small shop and headed back toward the Uchiha compound. She smiled even more brilliantly than usual whenever someone greeted her.

 _Progress!_

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes: And here's chapter Six~**_

 _ **I'm going to work on outlining a bit just because I want to settle some things plot wise so that I'm not dragging this on forever. That's something I have the tendency to do. So next update should probably be on Thursday or Friday (probably more so Friday but it will definitely be up by Saturday).**_

 _ **I wanted this chapter to have gone up yesterday but I apparently jinxed myself in the last post's notes and had a flare up lol could not work through the pain...also I got a little paranoid and almost didn't update and almost quit writing.**_

 _ **Someone on tumblr was complaining about an OOC Sasuke in a fic (i think the description was Super Princessy Moe Sasuke) and I freaked out a little. I don't want to write OOC but...this is a non-massacre Sasuke. And I'm not going to use SP's filler as a reference for a non-mass Sasuke. That was horrible. So I will try to get as close as possible and keep reminding myself "this is not a Curse of Hatred Sasuke, he doesn't need to be angsty and full of hate" so I don't think I'm getting too far off.**_

 _ **But do tell me if you think I'm getting too carried away.**_

 _ **I tried to make this chapter a little longer. Just a little.**_

 _ **I try to focus on the Uchihas and Sakura's interaction with them but I can't resist Ino-Saku friendship moments.**_


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Mikoto would say Sasuke was quite talented and could do just about anything he tried perfectly. Cooking, however, was not one of those things.

Sasuke had never had to cook for himself. His mother made all of his meals and when his parents had to go away on clan business or the like, Itachi took over and cooked their meals. Itachi was an odd one too. He could prepare elaborate meals but don't ask him to cook eggs. He got oddly intense when it came to eggs.

Because Sasuke had never cooked before, Mikoto was shocked to find him in her kitchen trying to operate the rice cooker.

"What are you doing with my rice cooker?" Mikoto shuffled around him, examining the ingredients he had lying around the counter. "Nori? Salmon? Umeboshi? Are you going to make onigiri?" Mikoto picked up a pickled plum and popped it into her mouth. She raised an eyebrow at her son. "This is sweet."

"I was in the mood for it," Sasuke mumbled. "How hard can making a few rice balls be?"

"Uh-huh," Mikoto crossed her arms and looked at him skeptically. "And you just happen to be in the mood to use my cherry blossom patterned bento box?"

"I just grabbed the wrong one," Sasuke replied calmly, pulling out a black wooden bento box with an uchiwa pattern. He measured out the rice and stared at the cup. Mikoto watched him for a moment just staring at the rice before he turned to her and mumbled, "Can you help me? I don't want to make something gross."

Beaming at him, Mikoto grabbed her apron from it's hook on the wall and put it on. As they moved around the kitchen Mikoto was reminded of how he would help out by handing her things she needed when he was younger. He was so cute when he was six! Mikoto peeked at him through her long, dark lashes and was startled for a moment with the realization that her baby was now about the same height as her. In a few years he would be looking down at her instead of at eye-level.

"Kaa-san." Sasuke's voice broke her out of her nostalgia induced daze. "I like onigiri but I don't think just onigiri makes a substantial meal. I mean like, nutrients and stuff?"

"It's okay for now," Mikoto gave him an encouraging smile as she helped him pack the rice balls neatly. "I'll teach you how to prepare other stuff another time. But she should be fine with rice balls. It's a quick meal and her schedule _is_ pretty hectic."

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded. There was a short pause before he turned to his mother wide eyed and ears red. "This is for me!"

"Of course it is," Mikoto smiled slyly and handed him the packed bento. She pushed him out the side door and told him she would clean up.

 _He's just too cute._

* * *

Once upon a time, if you asked Sasuke, he would tell you that Haruno Sakura was lazy and didn't have her priorities straight. Now he would tell you she was a workaholic and still didn't have her priorities straight.

"Oi." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the lump of blankets piled on the bed in a room that was suppose to have been empty. He sighed and nudged the part of the lump he hoped was a shoulder.

"Hmm?" A tiny groan came from the lump. It shuffled and then let out a yawn, legs and arms stretching out of the cocoon of blankets. Sakura flipped over on her back and peered up sleepily through pink lashes. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Aa." Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed. Sakura stretched one more time, revealing a sliver of skin from where her red top met her medic skirt. Sasuke quickly averted his eyes before she caught him staring. "Instead of napping in the hospital, why don't you just go home?"

"How about no?" Sakura narrowed her eyes at him before continuing to stretch out her limbs. She stretched until she heard some joints pop and then rolled her head, stretching out her neck.

"Have you eaten yet today?" Sasuke matched her glare with one of his own.

Almost two months into her training, Sasuke recognized a pattern. Sakura would train and study and work at the hospital and wouldn't rest properly. He hadn't noticed at first because he was so focused on his own training but after trying to seek Sakura out for team training sessions, he realized how busy her days actually were. And yet she still insisted on making time to train with him.

Now, almost a year after her training started, it was quite obvious that the girl was a workaholic and didn't know how to take care of herself.

"Yes."

"Liar. Yamanaka says otherwise." Sakura's stomach growled loudly and her face flushed pink. "Your body says otherwise. When was the last time you ate?"

"Dinner," Sakura huffed. "I definitely had dinner."

Sasuke stared blankly at her and Sakura felt the heat on her face rise even more. Usually she felt butterflies when Sasuke stared at her so intensely but at the moment there was only judgement in his eyes and he was clearly thinking that she was a moron.

"You don't believe me, do you?'

"I think it's already been mentioned that you suck at lying and you didn't exactly have that much confidence in your answer." Sasuke rolled his eyes and handed her the bento box he had brought for her. "It doesn't matter. My mother made this for you."

"Oh! Thank her for me." Sakura excitedly pulled the knot of the handkerchief to reveal the uchiwa patterned bento box. Sakura blinked at the pattern and wondered why there was a different box than usual. Smiling sweetly, she turned to Sasuke and said, "And thank you for bringing this here."

Sasuke nodded at her, not trusting his voice. His heart had started to beat at a faster tempo. He could feel the heat rising up his neck to his ears. Sakura's smile caused warmth to fill his chest but it was her eyes that always made him feel out of sorts. Although still a little too large for her face, the green, way too bright green of her eyes, made his stomach form knots. There was just way too much emotion in them and the adoration in them made his stomach go airy lately.

"Onigiri?" Sakura was a little surprised. Mikoto had a habit of making her elaborate and adorable bentos, never failing to add rabbit shaped apple slices. An onigiri filled box was a little plain for the Uchiha matriarch.

"You like umeboshi right?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly.

"Yes," Sakura replied, a little confused. _But Mikoto-san doesn't know that. But if they're the sweet kind I guess that would make sense._

Sakura stared at the box for a moment. It was odd that it wasn't the usual cherry blossom motif and plain. Shrugging the abnormality off, she held up the box to Sasuke.

"Want one?"

Sasuke stared at her with an impassive look on his face before grabbing one. He noticed Sakura just watching him and called out her name.

"Sakura."

"Ye─" Sakura's answer was cut off when a rice ball was placed into her open mouth. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she looked up with wide eyes at Sasuke.

"Eat. They're for you."

Sakura glared at him but grabbed the rice ball and chewed and swallowed what was in her mouth. She continued to eat as they sat there in silence. After a while Sakura noticed that Sasuke was staring at her face.

"You don't have to watch me. I'm eating, see?"

Sasuke blinked out of his daze and scowled. He pushed off the bed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He didn't mean to get caught but when Sakura was eating he was reminded of an odd comment Yamanaka Ino had made about Sakura eating cutely when they all went to a tea house while on a mission. Sakura's round cheeks would puff out and Sasuke guessed she sort of looked pretty when she ate happily.

Sasuke couldn't help but note the differences in her appearance. Sakura no longer wore makeup like she had only two years back and the green nail polish she usually wore was missing. And her hair. She grew her hair out from the chop job she had gotten in the Forest of Death but she no longer wore it long, trimming it so it never reached her shoulders.

Sasuke kind of preferred her hair short. It was less distracting when a long sheet of it wasn't swaying back and forth down her back. Not that being short stopped it from being distracting. It didn't matter what length it was, it was still it's unique pink shade and looked silky. Was silky. Izumi had a habit of playing with Sakura's hair and commenting on it.

"You need to go home earlier today and rest," Sasuke reprimanded her. "We have training tomorrow. We're getting that new member."

"Yeah," Sakura said sadly. The chunin exams in Suna were three months away and it didn't seem like Naruto would be back in time. Sakura had hoped he would be back before her fifteenth birthday but it looked like he was going to miss that as well. It was highly unlikely that he would be back in a week to celebrate.

"It's not like he's being replaced. We'll still be Team Seven when he comes back. There's no getting rid of that idiot," Sasuke said after a beat. Sakura's shoulders had slumped and although she was no longer the crybaby she was at twelve, he still panicked a bit when he thought she might burst into tears. He was okay handling her when she was upset but crying still made him freeze up.

"Uh-huh." Sakura beamed and packed up the bento box. "I'll wash this and return it later. But for now you gotta go. I have to get back to my shift."

"Do you ever take a break?"

"I do. You interrupted my break remember?"

"Whatever. Go home early." Sasuke left feeling like that was going to be a recurring discussion for them.

* * *

Itachi had a pleasant disposition but he couldn't avoid the intimidating aura that radiated off of him. It was advantageous at times but this was not one of those moments. It seemed like nothing intimidated the Godaime.

"Do I even want to know how you got that information Uchiha-san?" Tsunade crossed her arms under her chest and narrowed her eyes at Itachi. Itachi just smiled at the Hokage. Tsunade raised her eyebrow at the ice in his smile.

"I believe I do have access to information pertaining to former members of Root," Itachi replied. Although the organization no longer existed after the death of Shimura Danzo seven years ago, Itachi still held distrust toward anyone or anything that had been affiliated with Root. It was a bias that he could not help toward anything that Danzo had touched. He had strong, negative feelings after the man had tried to steal Shisui's eyes.

"In the case of this particular person, he had not completed his Root training. So he doesn't exactly count as a Root member." Tsunade shuffled papers around and pulled out a folder. "The orphans found under Shimura Danzo's, uh, _care_ , were placed in an orphanage and allowed to become Konoha shinobi if they so desired. Now that the chunin exams are approaching, many of them would like a chance to rise in ranks."

"You must understand my discomfort with placing one of them in my younger brother's team." Itachi's mouth was set in a tight grim line.

"No changes will be made to this line up, Itachi-san," Tsunade said firmly. "There are no missions for you at the moment so for now you are dismissed."

Itachi bowed and left, still feeling unsettled.

* * *

Sasuke tried to keep his eye from twitching as he avoided looking at his mother throughout dinner. He could feel her eyes on him as he ate silently across from her. He could almost feel Itachi's sly smile from his right side.

"I noticed that you hadn't brought the bento box back, Sasu-chan," Mikoto finally spoke up. "You haven't lost it on the training grounds, right?"

"I must have forgotten it," Sasuke replied nonchalantly. "I will retrieve it tomorrow."

"Did you mean this box, Okaa-san?" Sasuke tensed up at the sound of his brother's soft voice. There was an undertone of amusement that Sasuke found unnerving. Itachi placed the bento box on the low kitchen table. Where he was hiding it, Sasuke had no clue. "Sakura-chan returned it to me after my appointment today."

 _Sakura-_ chan _?_ Sasuke was used to hearing his brother calling her by her family name or with a more formal honorific but never so intimately.

"Did she scold you for not wearing your glasses during your off time?" Mikoto asked her eldest with a slight reprimand. His vision was suffering and at first he dealt with it on his own until Tsunade demanded he get his eyes checked frequently. So far he only let the Hokage or Sakura go anywhere near his eyes.

"Sakura-chan has a sixth sense for these things. I showed up with my glasses and I was still scolded before my examination. The lecture got worse after she found out how much damage I had sustained between check-ups."

"Good for her," Mikoto sniffed. She was proud of Sakura but also upset with Itachi. Shinobi usually avoided having to go to the hospital but it seemed that her family was worse than others when it involved doctor visits.

"My question is," Itachi segued away from the conversation pertaining to his health, "why did Sakura-chan have it?"

The room went quiet and Sasuke looked down at his bowl of rice. Now it felt like he could literally feel the burn from the stares of his family members. His father who had been quiet the entire meal, after having been sternly lectured about doing paperwork during mealtimes, took advantage of the situation and reached for a folder he had hidden under the table.

"May I be excused?" Sasuke asked feeling suffocated by his mother and brother's questioning looks.

"Not until you have finished your meal," Mikoto gave him a smile saturated with saccharine. "You need the nutrients and stuff."

"Oh my gods." Sasuke's face fell into his hands., trying to hide how flustered he looked.

"Elbows off of your mother's table, Sasuke." Fugaku sipped his green tea. He acted as though he hadn't heard a thing and continued to eat.

 _I should just chidori myself and end this right now_ , Sasuke groaned inwardly. _Or Itachi. He did that on purpose._

"You did good little brother," Itachi said pleasantly. "Lunch dates are much better than sparring ones."

 _I'm going to barbecue him in his sleep tonight_. Sasuke glared at his brother, unaware of the way his mother had clasped her hands together in front of her chest and the glimmer in her eyes.

"Dates?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow and dropped his paperwork in his lap. He had perked up when heard the word. "Who is dating?"

"I'm finished!" Sasuke hopped up and stormed away from the kitchen.

"Dinner was lovely, Okaa-san," Itachi complimented his mother, holding back a smirk. Sometimes, Sasuke made it too easy.

 _He'd probably be worse after a real date_ , Itachi laughed inwardly. _Gods, he needs help._

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes: This chapter fell into the shorter side but I really wanted to end this chapter there.**_

 _ **Thank you for all the reviews. you guys are precious! It made me feel so much better. For the new readers that came after six chapters were established and reviewed every time you finished a chapter: I adore you. It was so cute, it was like seeing your reactions in real time.**_

 _ **I'm sure you can guess as to who is the new teammate. I wasn't even subtle when I mentioned him in an earlier chapter, was I?**_

 _ **As a reminder this fanfic WILL have fix-it tendencies. So I killed off Danzo. Will I go into further detail about it? Probably not. As you, the readers, may have noticed this story is suppose to mainly be cute and fluffy. Events will be mentioned but not all of them will go into intricate explanations.**_

 _ **Next chapter should be expected to come out this weekend or Monday.**_

 _ **For anyone interested in reading any fanfics I write beyond this: I will continue writing when this story is completed. I actually have the next story already planned out. Unfortunately for fans of the cute and fluffy type of fics, the next one will be an AU and it will be M rated (for a reason!) and there will be more angst and drama (not that there won't be fluff, I can't resist fluff), but still SasuSaku!**_


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Sweet floral scents drifting with the gentle spring breeze through the Uchiha main house made for a lazy evening. A perfect setting for a cat nap on the engawa. Which is exactly what Itachi caught his younger brother doing. Literally.

Sasuke was lying on the edge of the engawa, one leg hanging over the edge, two brown and black patched cats laid curled by his hip and a smaller white one on his chest. Cats always seemed to find Sasuke even in the Uchiha compound. He seemed to have an affinity for them.

 _That's adorable_. Itachi kicked Sasuke's leg, just hard enough to shock him awake. Sasuke sat up, clutching the white kitten to his chest. The other two scattered after the rude awakening.

"Okaa-san and Otou-san wouldn't be too happy catching you sleeping out here again."

Sasuke glared at his brother. It was Itachi's fault he picked up the habit of sleeping out on the engawa when the weather was pleasant. He had even ditched him to let him get caught by his parents in the morning after the first night he suggested it.

"So who's this guy?" Itachi reached over to pet the little kitten. The kitten hissed at his hand, taking him aback. Although Itachi was closer to crows, all animals loved him including cats.

" _Her_ name is Hisui." Sasuke lightly scratched under the kitten's chin and she purred, pushing her face against his hand. "I found her under the engawa a while back and she's been following me around since."

Shaking off the fact that his younger brother had successfully kept a cat a secret from his family for so long, Itachi took another look at the cat's tiny face. Above the pinkest nose he's ever seen were a pair of stunning jade eyes. That explained the name.

"Otou-san will not let you keep this cat," Itachi warned. Although Sasuke played with cats he came across and had once tried to sneak a box of kittens into the compound at the age of seven, Sasuke never actually went as far as naming any of them. Their father wouldn't let them keep pets so he never named them so he wouldn't get attached.

"I'm not going to," Sasuke mumbled. "I'm giving her away as a gift."

Itachi blinked at that. It wasn't that Sasuke wasn't capable of giving gifts. It was just that Itachi didn't think there was anyone outside of their immediate family that Sasuke would trust enough to care for a living thing.

"You're back early from your mission."

Although Tsunade had claimed not to have a mission for Itachi, he received a summons the next day and was leaving the village right before Sasuke was to meet his new teammate.

"It was simple. So how is your new teammate?" Itachi asked. He sat down on the engawa and tried to catch Hisui's interest. She eyed his palm and then turned her head into Sasuke's stomach. "Hisui's too attached to you."

"Honestly," Sasuke sighed and lied back on the engawa, one arm bent behind his head and the other one holding on to Hisui, "he's a dick."

* * *

 _There was something unsettling about the smile on the pale boy in front of him that made Sasuke's jaw clench. There was nothing about that smile that told him the boy before him was trustworthy._

" _This is Sai," Kakashi introduced him. "He will be a part of Team Kakashi for the chunin exams coming up."_

" _Sai?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and stood guarded. "Just Sai, no family name?"_

" _Not everyone comes from such an extinguished clan, Princess Chicken Ass," Sai spoke in a monotone, the smile still on his face. Sakura gasped and Kakashi coughed, hiding his shock. "Did you mean to style your hair like that?"_

" _What did you just call me?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth. He stepped up to Sai, standing an inch away from his face._

" _Sorry, Princess. I don't swing that way." Sai continued to smile even as Sasuke grabbed the front of his asymmetrical sleeved, high collar shirt. Sasuke's eyes widened at the statement and his jaw clenched even harder._

" _Relax," Sakura whispered in Sasuke's ear. She brought a hand to his elbow and a green glow emitted from her hand. "You need to calm down."_

 _Sasuke was overcome with a soothing sensation sweeping across his body. His brain tingled with a pleasant sensation and he released his hold on Sai. Sakura's chakra was always gentle and warm. It was so calming to bask in it's presence._

" _We're going to need to get along," Sakura told him gently before removing her hand. Sasuke lamented the loss of the soothing chakra but he stepped back from Sai. "Don't let him frustrate you. It's not worth it."_

 _Sasuke looked down and Sakura and was reminded of the fear in her eyes when he lost control over two years ago. Guilt weighed heavy in his stomach. He gave her a nod and she smiled up at him sweetly._

" _I'm Haruno Sakura," Sakura introduced herself, holding her hand out to Sai and giving him a forced smile. She wasn't completely on board with having a new teammate but she was going to make the best of it. "It's nice to meet you."_

" _What an ugly smile." Sai took her hand, smiling his creepy smile. "That's nothing like the one you gave Uchiha-hime. But I guess I can get along with a somewhat friendly hag."_

" _What!?" Sakura hissed, a vein on her forehead throbbing. Before Kakashi could stop her, she punched Sai across the face sending him twenty feet across the clearing._

" _Let's get along, huh?" Sasuke smirked at Sakura who ended up blushing and laughing nervously._

* * *

"He's okay skillwise but he pisses Sakura off a lot," Sasuke said with a scowl. There was a pause and he chuckled. "It's fun watching her clear him straight across the training ground though."

"What? You don't stand up for her?" Itachi teased and Sasuke deadpanned.

"Sakura can more than handle him." Sasuke stood up and stretched. The kitten in his arms yawned, revealing tiny canines. "I have to go put Hisui in my room before Otou-san comes home from the station."

"You still haven't told me who she's for," Itachi called after him. Sasuke just lazily waved his hand at him without looking back.

 _I wonder..._

* * *

Sakura woke to the soft patting of a tiny paw on her face. A soft, furry face rubbed against her forehead.

"I'm up Hii-chan," Sakura giggled. She had the kitten for two weeks now and she had already adjusted to Sakura's schedule, always chirping for attention right before the alarm rang. Sakura rolled onto her back and stretched out her limbs. "Another day of work followed by teamwork drills," she sighed.

Sai was actually a great fit and his combat skills made up for his terrible social skills. She couldn't help but feel disgruntled whenever she saw him. He wasn't Naruto and he always called her "Hag". Sakura tried to ignore it but she had lost it when Sai had met Ino and started calling her Beautiful.

It didn't help that he was extremely observant and was always making comments that alluded to her feelings for Sasuke. Sakura was surprised to find someone with less tact than Naruto.

Sakura could probably be more subtle but it was kind of hard not to give Sasuke preferential treatment. She didn't like to be called out on it, especially in front of Sasuke. It wasn't like Sakura was being overly affectionate. Sure she didn't pull her hand away from his skin as soon as she finished healing his wounds. Maybe she sat too closely during breaks. Was there really anything bad about that? Sakura was sure Sasuke would have said something about it if he thought she was crossing the line.

 _It's none of Sai's business anyway._

It really wasn't fair that he would comment on the way she smiled differently at Sasuke or was nicer to him, treating him as if he were special. Sakura didn't _want_ Sasuke to be special, he just was.

 _I just want as much time with him as I can get._

* * *

"She's late," Sai interrupted the awkward silence. He and Sasuke were waiting on Sakura at Training Ground Three. They weren't at that level of comfort where they could start training with a spar unless Kakashi or Sakura were there to act as referee. Sasuke was sure he would kill him one day if he didn't stop calling him Princess.

 _Thank you Captain Obvious_. Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to focus on meditating.

"You don't talk much." Sai continued on, not caring if Sasuke was trying to block him out. "Although that's not necessarily true. You talk to _her_. To Hag."

Sasuke opened his eyes to narrow them at Sai. What was he getting at? Of course he talked to Sakura. They were teammates.

"You should seriously stop calling her that."

"And you smile at her. A nice, gentle smile. I thought you were worse than I was at expressing emotions but apparently you do know how to smile." Although Sai was sketching, he could still sense the shift in Sasuke's chakra. He had actually startled him with his statement. "How would your parents feel about you slumming it with a village girl, Princess?"

"Don't speak as if you know my parents." Sasuke was getting annoyed. "And I wouldn't exactly call hanging out with the disciple of the fifth Hokage _slumming it_."

 _Not that it fucking matters if she's the Godaime's apprentice or not._

Sasuke saw the judgement in some of the elder members of his clan's faces when they saw Sakura. They took one look at the simple white circle on her back and turned their noses up at her despite the fact that she paid them no mind. Sasuke didn't care how they felt. She was one of his two best friends. Despite her temper, there was no one he knew that was kinder or more gentler than Sakura. Well, maybe Naruto. He had a habit of attempting to befriend everyone he met.

"Hanging out you say." Sasuke watched as Sai pulled out a book from his weapons pouch. He flipped it open and pointed at something on the page. "Are you sure you're not participating in the ritual of _courting_? You escort her everywhere after we meet. You bring lunch to her workplace. You have a special smile you show only to her. There's a weird sexual tension after she has touched you, even in an innocent manner such as for healing. You two are dating."

Sai just barely, missed getting hit with a katon. Sasuke had let him babble until he got to the part about sexual tension. That struck a nerve with Sasuke. Sure he leaned in a little too much into Sakura's touch during healing sessions, but he never had perverse thoughts about their medic-nin when she was doing her job.

"Are we sparring now?" Sai asked, tilting his head as if confused, his smile still gracing his face with it's oddness. He back flipped to dodge a wave of shuriken and pulled out his giant scroll. "Okay, I guess we're sparring now."

* * *

Mikoto came home from tea with Mebuki to find a pair of knee high nin-sandals for small feet placed neatly next to her son's at the front entrance of her home. Recognizing who they belonged to she quickly made her way to the area of her house where she could feel the gentle strum of Sakura's chakra almost masked by the stronger pulse of Sasuke's chakra.

Mikoto was about to call out to the teenagers until the sight before her stopped her in her tracks. Out on the engawa, with her back towards her, sat Sakura with Sasuke lying down with his head in her lap. There was a green glow coming from the hand Sakura was using to touch her son.

"I really shouldn't heal you. Just to teach you a lesson," Sakura chided him. "You shouldn't let idiots goad you on." Sasuke let out a snort.

"I don't wanna hear that from you." Sasuke had his eyes shut so he couldn't see his mother but Mikoto could see him clearly and she saw the way the corners of his mouth upturned into a gentle smile. It was small but there was a warmth to it.

"You could have gone a little easier on him. Healing him almost exhausted me." Sakura finished healing a cut on Sasuke's cheek. There was a very subtle movement but Mikoto could have sworn that Sasuke was moving towards Sakura's touch.

"But it didn't. You don't waste chakra. Your control is _perfect_."

 _Flirting. My baby is_ flirting _?_ Mikoto felt heat pool into her cheeks and turned to head into her kitchen. There was something about what she just saw that made it seem like she shouldn't be around to witness it.

Mikoto shuffled around her kitchen, pulling out items and ingredients for dinner. She tried to distract herself with the act of cooking but her mind kept wandering to the scene she had just witnessed. She kept picturing the two of them in her mind with the pleasant aura radiating off of them.

She kept picturing a white ring molding into an uchiwa.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes: Here's chapter eight~**_

 _ **I'm not satisfied with the length of this chapter but it is what it is.**_

 _ **I'm sorry the update came out later than I had planned but I'm currently hospitalized and I keep getting brain funny when I'm trying to type out anything. Just can't focus.**_

 _ **Next chapter will have a time skip. About time, right? Lol**_

 _ **I want to say next update will be up by Friday but I can't guarantee anything right now.**_

 _ **As always, thank you for reading.**_


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Sakura had hoped that Naruto would mature with the years spent traveling and training with a sannin. She had hoped. She should have kept her expectations low.

"I go through a growth spurt and you're _still_ taller than me!?" Naruto complained. Sasuke just smirked at him and kept his hands in his pockets, holding himself all smugly.

 _It's two centimeters. Why is he griping over two centimeters? At least he's not the shortest one anymore._ Sakura rolled her eyes. She felt a tinge like a hypocrite since she and Ino had an argument over their height and weight the other day. Ino was a bit taller and curvier which made Sakura weigh just a bit less. Sakura refused to believe it was due to starvation because she was constantly in work mode like Ino had scolded her. Sasuke and his mother made sure she had something to eat everyday around lunch time.

"You haven't changed a bit Sakura-chan!" Naruto pulled Sakura into a hug and swung her around.

"You're going to drop her, moron." Sasuke reprimanded him, gently pulling Sakura out of his hold. Naruto raised an eyebrow and gaped at his friend. There was something weird about him. What was weird about him?

"What's with the weird outfit?" Naruto questioned Sasuke. He was wearing a light gray shinobi uniform under a black flak vest. On the long sleeves of his top was the Uchiha crest atop of a four pointed star. "An apron?"

"You can't possibly have forgotten the police force uniform, Naruto," Sakura sighed. She rubbed the area above her eyebrows in annoyance. "You should recognize it the most. Not only is your best friend the son of the police chief but you were taken into custody for vandalism how many times during our academy days?"

"Who's hungry? I'm hungry." Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's get ramen."

"He's been in the village of all of five minutes and he's already dragging us to Ichiraku," Sasuke grumbled to Sakura as they trailed a bit behind Naruto. Their energetic friend looked ready to leave them behind.

"Not like you weren't going to treat him anyway," Sakura teased. She clasped her hands behind her back and hummed lightly as she walked. It was so good that all of her boys were home.

As time went on, Sakura found herself even busier than ever. She was sixteen now and practically worked full time at the hospital and did research on poisons and antidotes. Ever since Sasuke joined the police force, Team Kakashi had pretty much stopped going on missions unless absolutely needed and they barely trained as a team. Sai would have probably disappeared into the background had it not been for the two of them bonding with him during their chunin exams.

It also helped that Ino kept insisting on everyone getting together whenever possible and inviting him to everything. Sai was blunt and had no filter so he made the rest of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai uncomfortable sometimes but after a full year of knowing him, Sakura and Sasuke were somewhat use to him.

"I wanted to sit in the middle, jerk." Naruto jabbed Sasuke's shoulder with a pair chopsticks. "You never let me sit in the middle."

"Whatever, loser. Just order your miso ramen." Sasuke ordered his and Sakura's usual at the stand. When the food came around he took a pair of disposable chopsticks and broke them apart for her.

Naruto watched his friends and almost dropped his third bowl of ramen as it made its way to his mouth. There was a weird air about them as they ate their meal. Sakura was talking animatedly about something at the hospital and Sasuke just watched her with a soft smile. It was starting to creep Naruto out.

"Slow down, Haruno." Sasuke chided Sakura and wiped broth off of her face with a napkin. "You're going to get indigestion if you eat too quickly. Why _are_ you eating so quickly?"

"I left some work at the lab that I _really_ wanna get back to this afternoon."

"You're suppose to have this afternoon off," Sasuke reminded her, his voice heavy with annoyance.

"It will be _really_ quick, I promise." Sakura clasped her hands in front of her chest and gave him a pout. Sasuke averted his gaze, the tips of his ears turning red.

"One hour," Sasuke grumbled. "You get one hour. We'll pick you up in front of the hospital or I'll drag you out again."

"Of course!" Sakura tipped her bowl back, careful not to drop any broth and then jumped down from her stool. When she tried to pay for her meal Sasuke stopped her. "You paid last time! Fine, but you better let me pay for you next time we have dinner."

Naruto waited for Sakura to be long gone before turning to Sasuke who was eating his ramen with an impassive look on his face.

"What the hell was that!?" Naruto shrieked, spitting broth everywhere. Sasuke punched him on the top of his head and told him to settle down. "How can I 'settle down' when you and Sakura-chan have started dating and _no one told me anything_!?"

 _I don't have the money I owe Ino for losing the bet!_

"We're not dating," Sasuke answered hoarsely, coming down from his coughing fit after swallowing broth down the wrong pipe. Naruto had really caught him off guard. "We're just friends."

"I see someone else has noticed the awkward sexual tension between you and the hag, Princess."

Both Naruto and Sasuke jumped at the sound of Sai joining in on their conversation. Neither one of them had noticed him sidle up to them and sit on the stool Sakura had used.

"We need to get you a fucking bell," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. Sai had a habit of just showing up whenever. Sasuke was getting really good at sensing chakra signatures and Sai still managed to sneak up on him in social situations.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto narrowed his eyes in his suspicion. Sasuke rolled his eyes at him. He hadn't quit slurping his noodles as he started interrogating Sai.

"I'm Sai." Sai gave him his creepy smile and Sasuke waited for the expected nickname. "You must be the dickless wonder." Yep, there it was.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?"

Sasuke finished up his meal, ignoring the bickering as though he weren't right in the middle of it. He sighed when he realized there was still forty-five minutes before Sakura was to be picked up.

* * *

Twenty-one. Itachi was twenty-one and he and Izumi still weren't married and giving her grandbabies to spoil. Mikoto was beyond pissed.

"Ita-chan."

"Okaa-san."

Itachi smiled pleasantly at his mother. He and Izumi sat in respectful seiza form across from his mother and father in their sitting room. Izumi kept her gaze down. She had seen her auntie upset before but there was something far more frightening about the icy close lipped smile she was presenting them at the moment.

"Chichi-ue." Itachi bowed slightly toward his father who looked just as uncomfortable as Izumi felt. Fugaku had just wanted a calm and relaxing lunch with his wife. He hadn't expected to be ambushed into an informal meeting with his eldest son and his girlfriend.

"I think you know why we are all here," Mikoto began calmly. She slid a black leather folder across the table. On the front was the Uchiha crest. Itachi's jaw muscle twitch. It was an omiai folder.

"We wanted a ren'ai kekkon for you Itachi. Just like your mother and I had." Fugaku took on the demeanor of a clan head. He dropped the unsettling feeling of being forced into having this conversation. "You're an adult now. We held back the elders from setting up arranged marriage meetings because we believed that you and Izumi were involved and in a serious relationship."

"We _are_ in a serious relationship," Itachi countered. "We just do not wish to marry or have the children Okaa-san desires yet."

"I would like to be a jounin instructor." Izumi informed her future in-laws. "I would much rather be a teacher than a mother right now."

"Shisui is quite the handful as it is," Itachi joked. Mikoto's face flushed crimson.

"Shi-chan is your cousin! You're _older_ cousin! He is _not_ suppose to be a handful for you to take care of. He's a police captain for goodness sake."

"We think of him as practice and so far we're not parent material," Itachi continued to tease his mother. Izumi had to hold back from giggling. "But now that we are all up to date on the status of my and Izumi's plans for the future, we must get going. I have a mission and Izumi is getting her first genin team today."

"We're not finished with this discussion young man!" Mikoto called after him. She slumped back, all energy gone. Fugaku rubbed her shoulders and she sighed, patting his hand.

"That went better than expected to be honest."

"You were no help, dear husband." Mikoto stood up and grabbed the empty folder from the low table. The folder was merely an empty threat.

"We were being pushy and that doesn't work with Itachi." Fugaku sighed. He followed his wife into the kitchen, grateful that she had already prepared lunch. She must have also known that their meeting would not last long since she didn't worry about the food cooling.

"I suppose you're right." Mikoto joined her husband at the low table. She sighed inwardly. _The son pushy could work on isn't even eighteen yet. Not able to legally wed yet._

* * *

Sasuke grimaced and scooted away from his snoring blond friend. His head throbbed when he realized he would be the one to drag him home.

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun." Sakura leaned against his arm on the other side of him, still awake but far from sober. "I'll help you with Naruto."

"Sure you will, lightweight." Sasuke smirked down at her when she pouted.

Team Kakashi had met up with Team Ten and threw Naruto a welcome home party. A few jokes at Sasuke's expense due to his police force status didn't deter the teens from their plans to get involved in a little underage drinking.

"It sucks that Hinata couldn't come. She missed Naruto a lot." Sakura snuggled against Sasuke for warmth. He radiated heat all of the time. She was sure it was due to his fire chakra nature. "She's so sheltered."

"If Team Eight came they would have been too loud and we would have gotten caught."

"You mean Kiba," Sakura giggled. Keeping track of Naruto had been enough for one night.

"Aa." Sasuke fell onto his back and stretched his arms over his head. He blinked up at the night sky. The training grounds were really the only place they could go to fool around without the adults finding out. Sasuke turned his head to the side and saw Sakura still sitting up. That wasn't right. He tugged on her arm until she fell back to lie next to him. Sakura squealed but scooted until she lied in the crook of Sasuke's arm.

"Warm," Sakura sighed.

"Glad I can be your personal space heater," Sasuke scoffed. He was only teasing. He liked the tingly feeling that ran up the places where Sakura's body touched his and the feeling only intensified when he was slightly inebriated. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer so that his nose was buried in her hair. Over the years Sakura's smell only changed slightly. She still smelled of something floral and fresh linens but there was an undertone of something antiseptic, a scent she picked up from the hospital.

"Should we leave?"

Sasuke's body tensed up. He forgot Sai was still awake. He sat up to see Sai smiling at him, Ino's head resting in his lap. Sasuke would comment but he knew Sai would turn anything he said around on him. He also wasn't sure if Sai and Ino were dating or not. He seemed to listen to her more when it came to learning social cues.

"Completely forgot we were here didn't you, Forehead?" Ino smirked. Sakura flushed pink and waved her hands around in denial.

"That was flirting, right Beautiful?"

"Yes, it was Sai-kun."

"Well, I lost my buzz." Sasuke stood up quickly and grabbed Naruto's leg. "Going to take the moron home now."

"You can't just drag him, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chased after him and lifted Naruto up by his arms. Ino and Sai watched them leave the training grounds.

"I'm learning so much, Beautiful." Sai smiled softly at Ino. His facial expressions were getting a lot better lately. "But that wasn't right was it?"

"Sadly, no." Ino sighed and sat up, stretching her limbs. She hadn't actually drunk much so that she could keep an eye on her best friend and the dense Uchiha. "Don't interrupt next time. It was getting good."

"I will try my best."

"Good. Now walk me home."

* * *

"What? No goodnight kiss?" Shisui appeared at Sasuke's elbow. He had been on night patrol when he spotted his younger cousin outside the Haruno home.

"What's wrong with everyone?" Sasuke scowled. "She's my best friend. That's it."

"But she's so pretty," Shisui teased. "You really don't think about it?"

"Pretty isn't all she is, moron." Sasuke's cheeks were a light hue of pink. He had been lying earlier about having lost his buzz. "I wouldn't be struggling so much if she was only pretty."

"Come on, shrimp. Let's get you home." Shisui threw his arm around Sasuke's shoulder. He could tell just how inebriated he was since Sasuke didn't shrug him off.

 _I thought alcohol gave you courage._ Shisui shook his head and led his cousin back to the Uchiha compound.

* * *

Hisui woke Sakura up by walking up her back with heavy steps. Kizashi was spoiling her and the extra treats weren't helping the cat's weight.

"I'm up Hii-chan," Sakura groaned. She places a palm on her forehead and sent healing chakra to her head to ease the pain of her headache. When the pain receded, Sakura turned over and flopped onto her back. Now that the headache was gone all she needed to worry about was remembering last night.

She remembered the smell of woodsmoke and of something like cinnamon. She remembered feeling warm and safe. She remembered the feeling of well formed muscles pressed against her.

Sakura blushed deeply and covered her face with her hands. She did it again. Sakura took advantage of Sasuke's kindness and let him spoil her. She sighed to herself and rolled out of bed. She was just going to have to try harder today.

"We're just best friends. Just friends," She chanted to herself as she got ready for the day.

Sakura wanted to believe that there could be more between them. She wanted all of Sasuke's nice gestures to mean something more. But Sakura wasn't delusional. She knew it couldn't happen.

"Let's just be selfish one more day," Sakura whispered to herself. For now she could pretend that she was the only girl that would be special to Sasuke. That there wouldn't be a day when seeing Sasuke and having him smile at her was just a memory.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Chapter Nine~**_

 _ **I'm still in the hospital but I should be out soon. I feel so much better than when I was admitted last week. I think being here is affecting my writing way too much.**_

 _ **This chapter wasn't particularly funny and it ended kind of sad actually didn't it? Sorry. I wanted to use this chapter mainly to bring Naruto back and to jump their ages.**_

 _ **Not sure when exactly the next update will be. I will probably update on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll be home by then.**_

 _ **Until next time~**_


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

After getting over the incident four years ago, Mikoto never thought she would have to deal with her youngest son's volatile mood again. Sasuke had been doing so well thanks to his teammates and his older brother. The cursed seal was nothing but a slight irritant for her family.

Sasuke had been distant and his temper easily flared. It took a while to get him to behave like and be the boy he was before. It was easier then because she knew what was the problem. This time she had no clue. He went on a mission with his old genin team and then came back a week later brooding and refusing to talk to anyone in the family except for Itachi. And Itachi wasn't explaining anything to their parents.

"At least he's eating properly again," Mikoto murmured. Itachi had just brought a tray down from Sasuke's room. He gave his mother a small smile and then sighed.

"He's not in the house by the way." Itachi took the dishes from his mother and washed them for her. "He opted to leave via the window. Again."

"That's what I get for raising shinobi." Mikoto patted Itachi's arm. It was the one rule she gave up on having them follow when Sasuke turned fourteen. "Ita-chan─"

"I shouldn't say anything until he's ready."

"Please? He's my son, Ita-chan. My youngest. My baby," Mikoto pleaded. This had been going on a month and she was tired. She tried to be firm but neither Itachi nor Sasuke were talking. It didn't help that Fugaku wasn't as concerned as she was about her son's mood. As long as Sasuke was doing his work for the police force and completing missions exceptionally he didn't think it was an issue.

Itachi sighed and averted his eyes from his mother's gaze. Sasuke looked so much like her that it affected him greatly when his mother looked up at him with such a sad expression.

"It's likely that Sasuke will have my condition. I only know of Shisui not being affected and I have never heard Otou-san make a complaint so I do not know how great the odds."

"You don't mean…?" Mikoto's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. "But everyone he's close to is─"

"That's partially why he's so upset," Itachi cut her off. "He's ashamed of having lost control of his emotions. I tried to explain to him how I had acquired the mangekyō sharingan but I don't believe it helped him as much as I thought it would have."

Mikoto bit her lip to stop it from trembling. They almost lost Shisui the year Itachi was twelve. For a moment it seemed that Shisui had died and it was enough for Itachi to gain the mangekyō sharingan. The event created a larger rift to form between the Uchiha clan and the village's council of elders. If not for the execution of Shimura Danzo, who knows what may have happened.

"But, Ita-chan...who did he think had died?"

* * *

Naruto was sure that if it weren't for the kyuubi and his ability to heal he would surely have died by now. Between sparring matches with both Sasuke and Sakura he was sustaining multiple injuries. It looked like neither one of them knew how to hold back when they were in a mood. Naruto had to remind them multiple times at the end of sparring matches that that was exactly what they were: sparring matches, not fights to the death.

"Sakura-chan healed those ribs yesterday and you just had to go and break them again," Naruto grumbled as he lied flat on his back on the grassy knoll of the Training Ground Two. They had to use a different training field than usual since he and Sakura had destroyed their usual field the day before. "Speaking of Sakura-chan, she seems to be ready to forgive you for being a bipolar jackass."

"I thought I already told you we're not discussing it." Sasuke glared at his friend. Naruto gave him an unimpressed look and then rolled his eyes.

"It's not like it was the first time any of us has gotten stabbed before."

"Stabbed? She was _fucking impaled_ ," Sasuke hissed. "She wasn't moving. I thought she─"

"I know!" Naruto exclaimed. He didn't want to start an argument. He just wanted his best friends to talk to each other again. "I was there too. I saw it happen. And guess what? She's fine. Sakura-chan is walking around, _very much alive_ , working at the hospital and everything."

Naruto almost groaned aloud when Sasuke just turned away from him. Naruto was fine when Sasuke went all sulky and broody the first week they were back but now that it was a month later it was getting old.

Team Kakashi minus their sensei had been assigned a simple retrieval mission. They just needed to pick up some rare herbs only found in Suna. The simple mission turned into an ambush that led Sakura into being stabbed through her abdomen and poisoned. Luckily their team was close enough to Suna still that they were able to get her to a medical-nin named Chiyo that Sakura had befriended on a previous trip to Suna.

Naruto had been concerned for Sakura's well being but as soon as she was healed and able to punch him for being overbearing everything went back to normal. Sai took Sakura's injury the easiest. His concern only lasted until she was healed. Sasuke on the other hand kept flopping between being overly concerned and also pissed off because of her recklessness.

"It's not like you aren't reckless either, Mr. Use-myself-as-a-human-shield." Sasuke turned back around and opened his mouth to say something but Naruto cut him off. "It is _so_ the same thing. We're all idiots that throw ourselves in front of attacks for each other. We have a problem and I blame Kaka-sensei for it."

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off only wincing a little bit from his injuries. He planned to see Sakura again but first, ramen.

"I'm tired of being the reasonable one and I'm hungry. I deserve some ramen."

"You're going to die by ramen."

"Like that's possible." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Speaking of food, I bet Sakura-chan hasn't eaten dinner yet and I bet she hasn't had lunch either. _Someone_ hasn't been making sure that she eats proper meals. _Someone_ should go check on her."

"Subtle. Real subtle." Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked away from Naruto. He refused to feel guilty because he hadn't been bringing any bento boxes for Sakura. She was seventeen and could feed herself. It wasn't his job to make her lunch even though he had been doing it for the past few years. His part in her lunches would have remained a secret if it weren't for Naruto bounding into his kitchen and catching him in the middle of preparing Sakura's bento. It took paying for several bowls of ramen to buy Naruto's silence.

"Just go check on her. Buy her dinner. You'll be back to making everyone uncomfortable with your awkward not-an-actual-couple relationship in no time."

"Oh, you mean like you and Hyuga."

"Hey!" Naruto's face flushed red. "We're not like that!"

"Riiiight...and you weren't muttering in your sleep about her glossy, long hair during our last mission."

"Fuck you, Sasuke!"

* * *

Sakura stared at the bouquet of gardenias on her desk and her eye twitched. Sai had dropped them off, a gift from Ino, and she almost crushed them and threw them out.

Although gardenias from a friend could just convey that the giver thought the receiver was lovely, Sakura knew what Ino was really trying to say. No longer interested in teasing her for being single and never kissed, Ino had moved on to making fun of Sakura's feelings for Sasuke: her secret love which wasn't so secret.

" _It's getting ridiculous, Forehead. Confess already!"_

Sakura filed away her finished documents. It was yet another day that she had to stay late to finish paperwork. She was staying late more often now that there wasn't a certain Uchiha dragging her out of the hospital. Sakura sighed and collapsed onto her plush desk chair.

She hadn't spoken to Sasuke in almost a month now. She saw him in passing when he was out on patrol in the merchant district but he avoided her gaze. She was caught with being frustrated with his behavior and also feeling hurt. Sakura hated that they were fighting but she wasn't going to give in first.

Sakura wasn't even sure why exactly they were still fighting. They rarely argued and usually came to silent agreements to forgive each other whenever they did. Sasuke couldn't still be angry with her for having jumped in front of an attack intended for him. It wasn't the first time that she had done so and it wasn't likely to be the last time either.

A knock on the door snapped Sakura out of her reverie. It was probably Shizune come to kick her out of the hospital again. The other hospital staff have given up with informing Sakura when the end of her day was and went straight to the only person other than the Hokage that could get her to leave the hospital.

"Come in!" Sakura called out, shuffling her papers around to make it appear as though she were on her way out. Looking up she saw the last person she expected to find in her office standing in the doorway. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Shouldn't you be on your way home?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her and made his way to her desk. He placed a take-out bowl of ramen in front of her. Sakura looked up at him, confused, and he looked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "The dobe wanted to bring you dinner but he forgot that he had something to do. So he asked me to bring it."

"And you decided to do him a favor?" Sakura pulled the food towards herself. She was so hungry that she felt no shame in accepting food. Sasuke just nodded and took a seat across from her in one of the spare chairs. She ate while they sat together in silence. It seemed that none of them were going to talk until Sasuke broke the silence.

"From one of your patients?" Sasuke raised his chin at the bouquet on her desk. He had noticed them when he came in. It wasn't odd for her to have flowers in her office. Former patients and Yamanaka Ino were always bringing her floral gifts.

"Ino."

"Aa."

"I would be a little worried if a patient gave me gardenias," Sakura started to ramble on, using his question to build up a conversation. "It would be a little inappropriate and a little weird."

"Why gardenias especially?" Sasuke took the bait. This is how they operated when they had an argument. They would start talking about something and forget about what they were mad about to begin with. It usually only worked for trivial things but he hoped it could apply to their current situation. He was tired of being upset with Sakura over something that wasn't her fault. She couldn't help how he felt.

Sakura stared at him with a blank look on her face before breaking out into one of her soft smiles.

"It's a secret."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and then let out a huff of air. If she didn't want to tell him, fine. It wasn't going to bother him. Considering she said it would be inappropriate he could only assume it had something to do with romantic feelings. A feeling of relief filled him when he remembered that Ino had given her the flowers. Unless Ino was no longer interested in Sai, highly unlikely considering he kept catching them engaging in displays of affection not appropriate for public in alley ways while on patrol, the flowers were probably just a harmless gift.

"Come on. I'll walk you home." Sasuke helped Sakura clean up the trash from her meal as she she packed her bag to go home.

"You don't need to walk me home. I'll be fine on my own." Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. Escorting her home was an innocent gesture but after his initial over protective reaction to her getting stabbed she was wary of his behavior. She wasn't some delicate creature that needed protection.

"I know I don't need to. It's just been a while."

Sakura blinked at that. She didn't want to get her hopes up but her stomach became airy. Maybe, just maybe, Sasuke had missed spending time with her too. And walking her home gave them just a little more time together.

"Okay." Sakura pushed ahead of him, trying to hide the flush of pink on her face.

* * *

Sasuke fell face first on his bed. He was so heavily distracted that he didn't even realize that he actually used the front door to enter his home. He had been using his bedroom window to avoid any unwanted questions from his mother.

Sasuke didn't want to believe that it had meant anything that Sakura's supposed death had activated his mangekyō sharingan. He had originally believed that the only people close enough to him to cause that kind of emotional trauma was Itachi or Naruto. And even then he believed that it would require their actual death. Somewhere along the way, Sakura had become that important to him.

He couldn't deny that he was in a better mood now after having walked Sakura home for the first time in ages. Just being in her presence made his chest warm and he caught himself smiling as she rambled on about the goings on at the hospital for the past month that they hadn't spoken.

Sasuke had missed her. He had missed her chatter and her smiles. He missed watching her eat food he had brought for her and he had missed walking her home after a long day. He missed the way her eyes glowed under the soft porch light when he dropped her off at home at night. He had missed her silvery voice wishing him good night and telling him that she would see him later.

"I'm fucked." Sasuke mumbled into his pillow.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Chapter 10~**_

 _ **I have been discharged from the hospital! I was actually discharged on Sunday but I have been very, very out of it. I am exhausted all of the time.**_

 _ **I have officially gone canon-divergent. I knew it would happen since I decided to write a non-mass fic.**_

 _ **I kind of miss Mikoto so I'm gonna try and make her more of the focus next chapter.**_

 _ **Also, thank you to all the well wishers from when I was hospitalized. You guys are sweet.**_

 _ **I shouldn't promise scheduled updates but next chapter update should be this weekend~**_


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

"U-chi-ha Sa-su-ke!"

Mikoto paused in the middle of pinning her family's clothing on the clothesline out in the yard. The voice sounded familiar but she had never heard it shout her son's name quite like that before. Mikoto sighed and clipped the last of her husband's shirts and went to check on the irate visitor.

A flash of pink stormed past her line of vision when she slid open the shoji door and crossed the threshold. Haruno Sakura was on a rampage in her home and that could only mean one thing: Sasuke had missed yet another appointment.

Mikoto listened to the stomping of steps as Sakura made her way to the second floor. There was another cry of Sasuke's full name, a crash, some rustling, and then silence.

"Guess there's nothing to worry about." Mikoto went back to her daily chores. Itachi, who had been sweeping the front entrance and had let Sakura in, raised an eyebrow at his mother as she dusted the living room.

"A girl is in your seventeen year old son's room and you think there's nothing to worry about?"

"It's Sakura-chan and she's here to check on his eyes." Mikoto knew Sakura was a responsible girl. She had been Sasuke's friend for years now. Besides, she seemed so pure and innocent. What trouble could she possibly get up to? "It's a house call from a doctor."

"Let me rephrase that for you Okaa-san," Itachi smiled serenely at his mother. "A beautiful seventeen year old girl is in the room of your barely awake, hormonal seventeen year old son. And it's gotten really quiet. Too quiet almost."

"Sasu-chan!" Mikoto dropped her duster and dashed up the stairs. She would never be able to look Mebuki in the eye again if something were to happen Sakura! "Not until marriage young man!"

Mikoto burst into her youngest son's room and then blinked at the sight in front of her. Sasuke and Sakura were innocently sitting on his bed, Sasuke still groggy from sleep and Sakura with her hands cupping his face, green glowing chakra enveloping Sasuke's eyes.

"Ah. Sorry about that Mikoto-san." Sakura gave her a sheepish grin. She pulled her hands away from Sasuke's face and wrung them in her lap. "I shouldn't have just barged in here but Sasuke-kun keeps missing all of his check ups."

"Stop scheduling them so early in the morning," Sasuke mumbled. "Now can you two leave or are you going to watch me change?"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked slowly at Sasuke who raised an eyebrow at her. It took her another beat for her to leap up off of his bed. She was so focused on getting his check up done she hadn't noticed that Sasuke was still shirtless and in bed. She excused herself and shuffled out of the room.

Mikoto rolled her eyes and then followed Sakura out. Sasuke's ears were tinged red and she wanted to laugh. It was a little late to get so bashful around his mother.

Mikoto found Sakura in the sitting room with her other son. It looked as if she took the opportunity to give Itachi a check up as well. Izumi was watching the examination, completely fascinated. Mikoto assumed she came in while she ran upstairs to make sure her youngest kept his hands to himself.

"You're so amazing Sakura-chan," Izumi sighed dreamily. "I wish I had the talent for medical-ninjutsu. It would be such a good skill to add to my resume."

Mikoto beamed at the praise bestowed upon Sakura. She remembered the little girl lacking in confidence and was proud of the kunoichi that Sakura had become. Mikoto grinned slyly at the comment Izumi had made. The Uchiha were talented and skilled fighters but none of them had the gift for healing that Sakura had. That was a skill that none of the girls the elders tried to sell could boast and none of them had her strength and her skills in taijutsu. Mikoto had kept her eye on all of the dark haired Uchiha beauties and she could confidently say that none of them could hold a candle to Sakura in looks or skill.

It would make it that much easier for her to push the sweet girl as a candidate for marriage for her youngest. All she needed to do was convince the Harunos to set up an omiai for their children. Mikoto was sure that as soon as Sakura was placed in front of Sasuke as someone with potential to have a romantic relationship with, he would see her as a woman and not just as his teammate and childhood friend.

"Are you attending the festival tonight, Sakura-chan?" Izumi asked as she poured tea for her. Although she and Itachi weren't making plans to wed soon, Mikoto was at least elated that Izumi helped with household duties such as playing hostess. It was almost as if it were a promise that she would take up the mantle of being the next Uchiha matriarch in the future.

"Yes." Sakura's eyes shone with excitement. Mikoto's chest filled with warmth. She never tired of seeing Sakura's childlike wonder. "I'm going to meet Ino and Hinata after work and then we'll head off to the festival together."

The good mood Mikoto was in deflated. Why wasn't Sakura attending the festival with her team? Sadly, Naruto and Sai would be part of the group, killing any romantic intention but at least Sakura and Sasuke would be going together.

"You're not going?" Itachi asked, looking past his mother. Mikoto turned slightly to see Sasuke entering the room.

"I'll be there. On patrol." Sasuke nodded at Sakura and then left the room. Mikoto frowned. She would have to talk to him later about proper greetings. He was getting so much more standoffish as he got older and that worried her.

"You should wear a kimono!" Mikoto decided to turn her attention to Sakura. She was going to attend the festival with Itachi and Izumi as her escorts and it was likely that she would run into the pink haired girl. She planned on it, especially if Sakura dressed up for the event. She would have to find her family's camera.

"I believe that's what Ino had planned," Sakura giggled. "She said we should take any opportunity we can to dress up."

 _Thank you Ino-chan_. Mikoto smirked inwardly knowing that the Yamanaka heiress would do her best to make Sakura shine. The bold girl was the perfect friend for Sakura. They got into squabbles and had their own rivalry like Naruto and Sasuke, but there was a gentle and protective warmth that radiated off the blonde girl whenever Sakura was involved.

* * *

Ino frowned at the pink mop on top of Sakura's head. She sighed and pulled out a tonic she had brewed with some herbs that she used to maintain the silkiness of her own long blonde hair and slathered it all over Sakura's pink locks.

"You finally grow your hair out and you don't even take proper care of it," Ino grumbled taking a comb to her hair.

"I wasn't trying to grow it out. It sort of snuck up on me," Sakura grumbled. She had been so busy with work at the hospital and making sure that Sasuke and Itachi kept track of their eye examinations that she had been neglecting her hair even more than usual. She hadn't noticed that her once cropped hair had grown to mid back and that her bangs had become overgrown. "I've been busy."

"Well, you look like a shaggy dog," Ino huffed. She was starting to miss when Sakura cared about her looks above everything else. It would have made her job of dolling her up a lot easier. "I'm trimming the split ends, I don't care what you say."

"As long as you do a better job than when we were twelve, fine. Go ahead."

"Relax. I won't be using a kunai. See, real scissors." Ino cleaned up Sakura's bangs, allowing them to fall in a small comb sweep style. Ino smiled at her handiwork, proud that she had cut Sakura's hair in a way that framed her face beautifully. Sakura blinked her pretty jade eyes up at her and Ino squealed. "So pretty. Maybe even as pretty as me."

"That's not as reassuring as you want it to be, Ino-pig."

"Hush and let me make you pretty." Ino turned her back around to face the vanity so that she could continue to pin her hair. She pulled Sakura's hair into a simple knot high on the top of her head and laced her favorite cosmos into the front of the bun.

Ino smiled softly at the lovely picture her best friend made. Sakura had always been cute but she had really become a beauty as they became older. Soon enough she was going to have to share her Forehead with men that would want her affections.

"You're going to have men crawling at your feet."

"I don't want men crawling at my feet, Ino." Sakura sighed and pulled at the white and gold trimmed obi around her torso. She was tired of having this conversation with Ino. She had already explained that she was perfectly content with being Sasuke's friend and enjoying the relationship they already had.

"You can't keep pining after that guy forever, Sakura." Ino frowned. It was cute that Sakura had a crush on her teammate when they were younger but it had lost it's charm now that they were reaching adulthood. Especially since it seemed like Sasuke wasn't going to be making any moves on her. That frustrated Ino since she was so sure he was interested in Sakura. "Why don't you try dating someone if you're just going to keep your feelings to yourself? Move on. You're plenty popular."

"I couldn't do that." Sakura bit her lower lip before giving Ino a half-hearted smile. "It would be horrible of me to use someone's feelings like that. I can't let someone think that I would return their feelings if my heart belongs to someone else."

"But wouldn't it be nice to have someone to lean on when you have to watch Sasuke carry on with his life, marry, and go on to have little Uchihas?"

"That's why I have you, Pig." Sakura hugged Ino's arm and Ino squeezed her back. It was rare that it was Sakura that clung onto her instead of the other way around.

"Yeah. You'll always have me."

* * *

Shisui hated patrolling during festival times. He was unfortunate to have to work while most of his friends were having fun. Usually he would sneak off to play while on the job but he was unlucky to be partnered with Sasuke who refused to let him goof off.

"You're so boring, Shrimp," Shisui sighed as he chewed on yakitori. He watched as Sasuke's left eye twitched. It was the third stand that they had stopped by and Sasuke refused to eat while working unlike Shisui.

"He's always been boring." The twitch became worse as Sasuke turned to see the whiskered face of his best friend and Sai.

"I'm surprised to see you at any stand that doesn't have ramen." Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised his eyebrow at Sai. He expected the taller nin to be dragged around by Ino not accompanying Naruto. "I'm even more surprised to see you."

"I am meeting Miss Beautiful later. She's getting ready with Ugly right now."

"I still don't get how you come up with these nicknames, kid." Shisui tossed his trash into a bin and joined the younger shinobi's conversation. "Need to get your eyes checked if you think Haruno is ugly."

"Yeah, she's like the prettiest girl in the village," Naruto turned on Sai. It was something that had been bothering him since he came back but Sakura kept telling him to let it go.

"Don't let Hyuga Hinata hear you saying that." Sai gave Naruto one of his faux innocent smiles. "I can only imagine what she would think."

"Second prettiest! Sakura-chan is the second prettiest right behind Hinata-chan, the most beautiful girl in the world!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. A lot had changed over the years. It felt like forever ago when Naruto thought Hinata was a weirdo with creepy eyes and use to follow Sakura around with doe eyes full of admiration. So much had changed since they were twelve. Sasuke understood that best.

Sasuke didn't understand what was so appealing about the Hyuga heiress. Her dojutsu gave her blank white, lavender tinted eyes which would have been the only unique trait about her if it weren't for the fact she shared those same eyes with all of her clan members. Other than that she had traditional long, dark hair and was just a little too demure in his opinion. Sasuke knew he was being biased, but after looking at Sakura's jade eyes and petal pink hair all these years all other types of physical traits just fell flat.

So he had to disagree with the moron he called his best friend. Hyuga Hinata wasn't the prettiest girl.

"Looks like there's your Miss Beautiful and─" Shisui let out a low whistle. The boys looked in the direction he was looking at and found Ino leading Sakura and Hinata through the crowds. "Wow. You said she was only a friend, right Shrimp? I'm just going to─"

Sasuke pulled on the back of Shisui's flack vest, keeping him from heading towards the girls. He flashed his cousin a red eyed glare before following his teammates into the crowd. He was keeping to the perimeter where no one could touch him but now he felt inclined to join the throng of people. He reached his teammates just as Sakura was pushing Naruto towards Hinata.

"Go win her a prize," Sakura hissed. She pinched the bridge of her nose when Naruto threw his arm over Hinata's shoulders, causing the girl to go weak in the knees and stumble. Sasuke blinked owlishly. That was something he usually did. He made a note to examine himself for any quirks he may have picked up from his friends. If Sakura was picking stuff up from him he was sure he might have picked something up as well.

Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for Sakura to notice his presence. Ino gave Sakura a smirk and pointed behind her. Sakura turned in place and beamed when she saw Sasuke. Sasuke chose to ignore the fluttering sensation in stomach and gave her a small grin.

"Hello Sasuke-kun!" Sakura clasped her hands behind her back and Sasuke had to resist looking below her neck. She had the habit of doing that without realizing it made her chest stick out a little more. Although she was slender and petite, she had delicate curves that made Sasuke wonder how he had ignored them for the past two years, especially since she wore a tight top and short skirt as part of her shinobi attire. A short skirt that made it difficult to keep his eyes away from her bottom.

"Hey."

"Having fun working?" Sakura teased. She knew that if he hadn't been working he would have been trying to avoid the crowds of people. More people meant more girls and he still didn't like the attention he got.

"Yes. Patrol duty is a blast," Sasuke retorted sarcastically causing her to giggle.

"Oh, shoot. They ditched me." Sakura turned to look for Ino and Sai. Turning her back on Sasuke gave him a good view of her creamy neck. The slender column of it was shown to advantage with her updo hairstyle. Something about it screamed Yamanaka and he mentally cursed her.

"Well, it's part of my responsibilities to help lost children." Sasuke smirked and tugged on her kimono's sleeve. She pouted at him and he had to look away from her tempting pink lips. Looking at Sakura was getting harder now that he was aware of his attraction to her. "Let's go find them."

* * *

Itachi sighed as he heard the shutter of his mother's camera go off yet again. Allowing her to accompany him and Izumi had been fine. The mistake was allowing her to bring her wretched camera. Mikoto had spent a majority of their time at the festival snapping pictures of anything she found the two of them doing that was adorable.

"Itachi-kun," Izumi whispered behind a stick of dango. "I think I just found out how we can get some privacy."

Itachi raised an eyebrow and nodded at her to continue. He wasn't one for public displays of affection but he would very much like a chance to hold Izumi's hand. He hadn't been able to make a single move without his mother's intense gaze on them.

"Look over there." Izumi nodded her head in the direction of the crowd and Itachi followed her line of sight. If he hadn't been so skilled at hiding any sign of emotion from his face he would have dropped his jaw and openly gaped.

Sakura's pink hair was like a beacon, she was very hard to miss. She was smiling pleasantly enjoying a candy apple which was normal for a festival. What wasn't normal was finding his younger brother shirking his duties in favor of walking around with his friend.

"She's so pretty," Izumi murmured. "Like a doll."

Itachi had to agree. Sakura looked deceptively delicate in her green kimono. Her slender frame seemed made for wearing one. Everything about her seemed small and fragile and it amused him. No one would know the kind of damage she could cause with her fists just from looking at her.

"You would have looked lovelier in a kimono as well," Itachi whispered back to her. He smirked at the light shade of red that Izumi turned. He rarely flirted but it had it's perks.

"How do we get your mother to spot her without being too obvious?"

"We don't. She's got a radar for Sakura-chan."

Itachi pointed at his mother who was already looking in the direction of Sakura. She squealed and gave a little hop when she saw her.

"I knew that green kimono would just look darling on her. Best purchase I've ever made." Mikoto pushed through the crowds of people, camera at the ready.

"Your mother bought Sakura-chan a kimono?"

"It appears so," Itachi replied, equally as shocked. He knew she favored the girl greatly but didn't realize just how much.

"Do you think she's noticed yet?"

"Noticed what?"

"Wait. You didn't?" Izumi smirked, eyes narrowed in glee. "I can't believe you didn't see it."

"See what, Izumi?" Itachi asked exasperated. She was finding too much amusement in this. He only hoped she wouldn't make another comment about his glasses.

"Your brother was holding Sakura-chan's hand." Izumi let out a laugh that bordered almost a cackle. "If she sees that we could have days, possibly weeks, free of her incessant talk about weddings and babies."

"As nice as that sounds, maybe we should rescue the kids from her." Itachi watched as Mikoto latched herself onto Sakura's arm. Sasuke must have seen her coming because he stood a greater distance away from Sakura than he previously was. "Or not. Well let's get going. We need to find a good spot for the fireworks."

"And maybe get some watame?" Izumi asked sweetly, taking his hand in hers and leading him to a vendor with bags of cotton candy.

* * *

Mikoto was excited to stop by the camera shop the next day to get her photos developed. She got so many splendid candid shots of both of her sons and plenty of Sakura who finally wore the kimono she had bought for her a few years ago. The pale green fabric was a lovely fit but now she wanted to see her in a red one with cherry blossom patterning.

After walking around the festival with Sakura and Sasuke for a bit, Mikoto had decided to call it night. She wanted to be home when her husband was done with his own shift at the station so that she could tell him how much fun she had although she was lonely. As they ate some food she brought from the festival she had insisted that he take a day off the next time there was one so he could escort her and win her a prize like he had when they were younger. Mikoto enjoyed making her husband flustered when she reminded him of how he use to court her.

"This looks like a good spot for my new vase." Mikoto adjusted her new ceramic pot on a bookshelf in the informal sitting room. She liked to collect pretty things she purchased from vendors and display them. She was quite picky so she never went overboard. "Such a pretty design."

Mikoto took the time to admire the glaze painting. Such a pretty and curious design of hawks nestled on cherry blossom tree branches. She was tracing the line work with a delicate touch when she heard the shoji door slam open and then shut and then the stomping of feet.

"Sasu-chan?" Mikoto cocked her head in confusion as she watched her youngest storm past her to the stairs. The back of his neck and his ears were a brilliant shade of red. "I wonder what happened to him?"

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: So this is a lot earlier than I had planned but the last two chapters were so short so what the heck…longish author's note ahead...I think it's longer than the others...?**_

 _ **Since the start of this fic some rare reviewers wanted me to have someone else interested in Sakura or have her try to move on...I'm okay with her attempting to move on but not with another person. It feels wrong and OOC. I'm also the kind of person that doesn't like love triangles (which makes my love of kdramas so frustrating and kind of why I gave up on them) or dating when still interested in someone else. So I'm sorry I will not introduce a love rival. Misunderstandings are fine...another person actually being involved is a big NO for me.**_

 _ **In case anyone was wondering, gardenias symbolize secret love. So in the last chapter that was Ino sort of being a little mean and teasing Sakura for not confessing her feelings.**_

 _ **Also, for any Hinata fans, please don't think I was bashing her. It's just suppose to be Sasuke's personal opinion because well, he's got Sakura. Although there is a tiny part of me that gets weirded out in fics when Hinata and Ino are praised for being beautiful and Sakura is described as plain in comparison. Yes they're pretty but in canon Sakura's the only one that has her looks commented on, not the other two.**_

 _ **Writing is getting easier now that I'm not in the hospital so there will probably be another update on Sunday or Monday.**_


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Sometimes Sasuke couldn't decide who was more annoying, Naruto or Sai. Naruto didn't know when to stop talking but Sai on the other hand always found a way to break his silence with a perfectly placed insult or uncomfortable statement.

But neither of them were as annoying as Sakura.

Sakura seemed to find a way to irritate him whether she was physically around or not. If she were around she would irritate him by causing shivers to run down his spine with either her gentle touch or by pinning him down and straddling him during spars. When she wasn't available to physically be in his presence she still irritated him by being in his thoughts when she had no business being there.

Like right at this moment when he should be meditating and clearing his mind, all he could think about was how when close enough to her face he could see gold specks floating around the jade of her irises. Or how her lashes weren't all pale petal pink but had a few scattering of magenta in between them. And how in winter her freckles were almost a non-existent spray across her visage.

Sighing, Sasuke stretched his arms up towards the sky and then fell back onto the grass, listening to the sounds of Sai and Naruto's bickering.

"Do you know how hard it is to get ink off of my clothes?" Naruto whipped his jacket off.

"Does it matter? I thought you were going to buy new shinobi attire anyway." Sasuke scowled as Naruto shook his jacket in an attempt to shake off some of the wet ink.

"Oh, did he get tired of looking like a stretched out pumpkin?" Sai pulled out his sketchbook and turned to an unfinished sketch. Sasuke rolled his eyes when he noticed it was a portrait of Ino.

 _Sap_.

"Shut up! Now I'm going to look like a mess for my lunch date with Hinata-chan," Naruto whined. "And Neji was finally going to let us be unsupervised."

Unfortunately for Naruto the older Hyuga took it upon himself to chaperone their outings so that the two of them wouldn't be alone. Hanabi had convinced him to allow them one date without him for Hinata's birthday.

"We're never having our second kiss," Naruto continued to grumble. Sasuke tensed up at the comment, the action not going unnoticed by Sai.

"Second kiss? My, what such late bloomers you are," Sai teased. He enjoyed being the most experience of the group despite having difficulties with social cues.

"Hey! It's not my fault that Hinata-chan comes from such a traditional clan."

"Hmm. Is that your excuse as well Princess?" Sai turned his attention to Sasuke who was attempting to leave unnoticed. "Besides the unfortunate incident Beautiful told me about, I believe you've never kissed anyone."

"Shut up."

"Yeah, we don't talk about─wait," Naruto broke out into a wide grin. "You've never kissed a girl?"

Heat creeped up Sasuke's neck. He should have left a lot sooner when he had finished his turns of sparring. To hide his embarrassment he palmed Naruto's face in his hand and gave him a hard shove. Instead of getting upset, Naruto just started to laugh.

"Oh, poor Sakura-chan."

"Why are you bringing her up?" Sasuke's ears were red now.

"Because who else would you kiss besides the hag," Sai answered him. He frowned at his drawing and packed up his stuff. He would have to stop by and see Ino at her family's shop to make sure his sketch came out perfectly. Drawing people was proving to be difficult.

"I gotta agree with Sai," Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded. "Sakura-chan's the only girl you hang out with. You hang out all of the time. Who else would it be?"

"We don't hang out all of the time."

"Well, not lately." Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Why is that? Ever since the festival earlier this month I barely see you guys together. You don't even drop off lunch in person anymore. You deliver them by hawk summons like a weirdo."

"We've been busy."

It wasn't an outright lie. Sakura and him had been fairly busy. Sasuke had been doubling on training, working on kenjutsu. He knew that Sakura still had her same busy schedule at the hospital but he didn't know why she didn't join them for training recently.

"Miss Beautiful says Ugly's father has her helping out at the bakery," Sai commented. "She said that Sakura use to do it often when she was younger and it helped with their bakery's popularity."

"How could she help with that?" Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion. Sai gave him an unimpressed look as if the answer was obvious.

"I have to go. Errands to run," Sasuke told them before using the body flicker to leave them behind in the clearing.

"I hate when he does that," Naruto complained.

* * *

Sakura inhaled and held her breath for ten seconds and then exhaled. Ino's snickering was getting on her last nerve.

"Stop eating the samples, Pig." Sakura slapped at Ino's hand before she could could reach for another treat on the bread board. "Those are for actual customers."

"I can't believe your dad has you working in the shop again."

"Shut up, Ino." Sakura's face flushed pink. She never thought she would step foot in her father's bakery to work again. Winter was the busy season when people ventured into warm shops and craved fresh baked goods. In order to compete with other bakeries in the village Kizashi enlisted the help of his daughter to attract customers.

It worked when she was a little girl and adorable but now she was young woman and beautiful. The clientele was suspiciously mostly young civilian men.

"I'm surprised Uncle was okay with this."

"It was my mother's idea," Sakura grumbled.

"Yeah, I can see how Auntie would get a kick out of guys coming in here and buying stuff just so they can try and flirt with you."

"It's really embarrassing actually." Sakura groaned and slumped forward on the display case. "Most of them aren't even flirting. They're just staring a lot and stuttering out their orders. I could be doing something important like healing people or training instead."

"Well maybe one of these stuttering fools can get you to go on a date with them." Ino examined her nails nonchalantly. She had convinced Sakura to go on a salon date with her the other day and she wasn't too sure she was liking the color she chose. She should have done what Sakura did and chose her usual color. Now she was content with her green while Ino was undecided on the shade of slate. The only thing she was happy with was the hardness and sharpness of her pointed manicure. Pretty and deadly. Something Sakura currently didn't appear to be.

Mebuki wanted Sakura to appear more approachable and asked her to ditch her shinobi gear. After a bit of arguing, Sakura caved in and began wearing chunky cable knit sweaters just long enough to wear with leggings and hide her weapons holster and med-nin pack. Sakura looked nice but like a civilian.

"I don't want to go on a date Ino," Sakura lied. She did want to go on a date but not with just any random guy. She wanted a date with a particular person. A particular person with dark, dark eyes and a slightly longer lower lash line than an upper one, something she hadn't really noticed before until recent events. Recent events that made her face warm up and confuse her.

"You're staring off into space again, Forehead." Ino waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her day dreams. "I have to go, I have a mission. Have fun with all of the cuties."

"You're not funny, Pig!" Sakura shuffled around, making herself busy. The day had slowed down as it was nearing the end of her shift at the shop and would be replaced with her mother. It had only been two weeks but it seemed that her schedule had become obvious to their patrons.

The bell on the door chimed and Sakura smiled widely at her would be customer before her grin slid of her face in surprise.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's face flushed pink. It had been a while since she had last seen him. She was still unsure of how to face him after their last encounter.

"Sakura," Sasuke greeted as he looked around the shop. He seemed satisfied by something because he nodded at nothing before turning to the front counter.

"How can I help you?" Sakura was confused by his presence in the shop. Although they baked all sorts of breads and savory treats, the Harunos' bakery was well known for their sweets. They were more of a cake shop. Sasuke disliked sweets, a fact that had disappointed Sakura's father years ago when he had first visited the shop.

"My mother sent me. She wanted me to pick her up something."

"Did she ask for anything in particular? Or would you like me to prepare a box of her favorites."

"A box of her favorites."

Sakura busied herself with preparing a package of fruit tarts and cakes while Sasuke stood by the counter looking out the shop's window. He was starting to feel as though Sai had been baiting him until a boy in his late teens strolled into the shop. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the flush of pink that spread on the boy's cheeks. He highly doubted it had anything to do with the cold outside.

"I'm here to pick up my order of chocolate and coffee tiramisu cake." Sasuke's jaw clenched at the way the boy spoke. There was something about his tone that suggested his voice wasn't naturally as low as he was making it.

Sasuke didn't like how the boy looked at Sakura. It was like she was some pretty doll to look at instead of a person.

"One moment," Sakura called out flashing him a cordial smile. A sense of relief washed over Sasuke when he noticed that it wasn't _his_ smile. The smile she gave the boy was the same one she gave patients and small children. "Here you go Sasuke-kun."

"Can you come over to the main house later? You haven't checked my eyes in a while." Sasuke ignored the open mouthed stare of the stranger. There was a giddy, airy feeling in Sasuke's stomach as he watched Sakura package a small round cake for her patron while giving him all of her attention. It was almost as if the boy wasn't there.

"I can do that. I finish my shift at the hospital at eight though. I wouldn't be able to come over until late."

"That's fine." Sasuke shifted the box she handed him to one hand and used his other to tap her forehead. "See you later."

"Why does he keep doing that?" Sakura mumbled, rubbing her forehead, as she watched him walk down the street through the shop window.

* * *

Stirring the pot of curry he was making, Sasuke let out another sigh. Itachi raised his eyebrow. That was the fifth time tonight that his brother had sighed while staring into space.

"What's up with you?" Itachi asked. Sasuke turned his head slightly to his brother and glared.

"I blame you."

Itachi's eyes went wide in surprise. His younger brother hadn't been this hostile towards him since he was about fourteen, when he had believed that Haruno Sakura had started crushing on Itachi.

"What am I being blamed for exactly?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Can you greet Sakura? She's at the door."

Sure enough, when Itachi focused he could feel the warm and gentle chakra signature of Haruno Sakura at the front entrance. A moment later there was a knock. Itachi cleared his throat to hide a chuckle trying to escape. His brother was really tuned in to his teammate if he was able to casually sense her approaching. She wasn't like Naruto who's chakra was vibrant and unable to be ignored. Someone that wasn't a sensor had to purposefully be looking for her.

"Hello Itachi-nii-san," Sakura greeted him, slightly out of breath. She must have run to the outskirts of the village. Itachi's lips quirked upward as he watched her straighten and compose herself before she saw Sasuke. She sometimes reminded him of Izumi before he returned her affections. He almost laughed out loud when she greeted his brother. There was a subtle difference in the warmth of the greeting and if he were anyone else he may have felt slightly insulted in the raised degrees of happiness she displayed in a matter of seconds just from entering Sasuke's presence.

"Sit down. Food's ready."

Itachi was about to comment on how rude his brother's manner of speech was but Sakura practically skipped over to the low kitchen table. He sighed and left the room to give them their privacy. At least he now had the answer as to why Sasuke was cooking so late at night considering they had already had dinner hours earlier.

"Eat up. You can check my eyes after you've had dinner," Sasuke said with a slight demanding tone. Sakura narrowed her eyes at that but still thanked him for the meal. She knew he was only showing his concern. If it wasn't Ino, it was Sasuke after her for not putting time aside to eat. If she had gone home straight from the hospital she would have just taken a hot shower and gone to bed.

"It's sweet," Sakura murmured happily. Sasuke nodded, resting his chin on his hands. Watching Sakura eat never failed to be entertaining. She always seemed so happy when she had something in her mouth.

Sasuke slammed his head on the table as soon as that thought entered his head. For someone who's hormones took so long to affect them they really hit him hard. It was disturbing considering he couldn't even kiss her properly.

No. He was the moron that poked her forehead and left her on her doorstep even though he had the best opportunity to just close the gap and press his lips to hers. He had even poked her forehead earlier in the bakery. Sasuke couldn't even explain to himself why he had done it then. Instead he just blamed Itachi for ingraining the gesture into his mind.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke raised his head up and turned to face the sink. He hadn't noticed Sakura finish her meal and wash her plate. "Let's check your eyes."

"Aa."

Sasuke led her outside to so they could sit on the engawa. She wouldn't need that much light since she was using chakra for the examination. She closed her eyes to picture the chakra pathways and inner workings of the body when she used chakra. Sasuke liked watching her work. Sometimes she would stick her tongue out in concentration. Other times, like now, she would bite down on her plump pink lip. Her tempting plump pink lip...

"You're really overworking your eyes Sasuke-kun. You need to take better care of─"

Sakura was cut off by the light brushing of dry lips against her own. There was barely any pressure as the pair of lips barely skimmed against hers. Her eyes went wide and she froze, holding her breath.

 _Did that just happen? Did that really just happen!?_

"Sorry," Sasuke mumbled, a scowl on his face. He pulled away, clearly upset from her lack of a positive reaction. "Just forget that happened."

"What? No!" Sakura fisted her hands into his shirt and tugged him hard towards her. She clacked her teeth against his and bruised her lip on contact. She had banged their heads together with the force that she dragged him down towards her. "Ow...I'm sorry."

Sakura bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. She just ruined her first kiss and possibly made Sasuke never want to kiss her again.

"Want to try again?" Sasuke whispered. He rested his forehead on hers and his face was close enough for her to count his lashes. Just like the night of the festival.

 _Maybe he really was trying to kiss me then…_

"Yes," Sakura squeaked. Sasuke laughed through his nose and then slanted his mouth over hers again. There was a lot more pressure than his first attempt but still as gentle. His movements were clumsy but they still dragged a content sigh from her. After another beat Sasuke pulled away and rested his forehead against hers again.

"I'll walk you home."

"In a moment." Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck. "Can we do that one more time?"

Sasuke nodded and eagerly leaned in to capture her mouth with his again. There was such a pleasant warmth that filled him when Sakura responded with as much eagerness that he had. It wasn't fire but a gentle warmth. Like coming into the comfort of home after spending time out in the cold and wet of snow.

It was a warmth that Sasuke wanted to feel again and again.

* * *

 _ **Author's note: I almost didn't have them kiss until next chapter lol but I feel like y'all would have been upset after finding out he didn't kiss her last chapter lol**_

 _ **Let's see if their kisses makes things easier for them or just complicates things...who knows...I know...hehehe**_

 _ **Next chapter will be out within the week, I go back to work tomorrow so hopefully things will be easier when I can use my work desktop to type**_

 _ **Mikoto and Fugaku will appear again next chapter. I'm a little surprised at how much people are enjoying the ItaIzu interaction...it wasn't my original intention to do much with them but I started putting more focus on the Uchiha family and just rolled with it.**_


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Mikoto hated clan meeting days. They were days in which she either stayed home and played dutiful housewife or attended as her husband's silent supporter. It was archaic but the meetings weren't usually attended by any female clan members. She was a rare change from the norm and the elders had once argued about her inclusion. Fugaku stated that he discussed whatever was spoken of with his wife at home regardless if she was there or not. It just made it easier if she heard everything firsthand.

She hated this meeting especially. She had been trying to avoid it but the longer Itachi remained unwed the more it loomed over her and Fugaku's head.

"I see you haven't abandoned your wife's campaign Fugaku," the most elderly member of the Uchiha council sneered. Fugaku didn't flinch at the intended insult. He was far too level headed and patient to allow such a dig to get to him. "How much longer will you entertain these fantasies of hers? We will not accept an outsider as the next clan head's wife."

Mikoto clutched the folds of her skirt, narrowing her eyes at the ground. She took advantage of her formal sitting manner and bowed her head to hide her glares.

"Izumi returned to the Uchiha clan over eighteen years ago. She was persecuted with the rest of us for being an Uchiha. She belongs to this clan as much as any of us," Itachi countered. Usually Itachi would remain quiet, disliking attending meetings. As he got older he realized the importance of attending, if not for the clan but for Sasuke. Although Sasuke craved his father's acknowledgement, his only desire was to take over as chief of the police force, not head the clan.

That and Itachi was sure if Sasuke was to be chosen as successor, he would be more likely to bend to the elders' will. Itachi did not want to see his younger brother abandon his heart's desires for the clan.

"She has tainted blood. And a pathetic display of the sharingan," one of Itachi's uncles scoffed.

"But she's awakened it. And unfortunately for a clan that boasts such great ocular prowess, not all of it's members can say the same." Itachi kept his voice at a calm and quiet tone but Mikoto could hear the underlayer of distaste. She felt the same. She may have found her husband amongst the Uchiha, but that should not be a standard all Uchiha should have to set themselves to. She knew it was one of the reasons why Izumi and her mother were not recognized as Uchiha prior to the Nine-Tails attack.

 _Say something Fugaku. I know you want Ita-chan to start taking part in discussion but you're the current clan head!_

"I believe this meeting was called to discuss _actual_ issues," Fugaku's voice was soft but it rang with strength throughout the hall. "If this meeting was called to discuss your petty feelings than this meeting is adjourned. I refuse to deal with this matter any longer. Take your hurt feelings of rejection and bury them."

The walk back to the main house was silent. Mikoto held her tongue but was ready to make her thoughts known to her husband and son as soon as they entered the threshold of their home. Yes, they did defend the girl but until Itachi made her his wife, there would be more opportunists trying to make their bids. She _knew_ that clan members were trying to push their daughters and relatives to be the future matriarch so that they could find a way to get closer to Itachi, the future clan head. The argument of Izumi's status as an Uchiha because of her "outsider" father was nonsense. If she were to marry someone else, like Shisui, none of them would bat an eye.

"You may begin prepping for a traditional ceremony Okaa-san," Itachi spoke to his mother as they approached the main entrance. "Izumi and I would prefer something small. We were more in favor of just our family and her mother and Shisui. If that is possible. I understand as Chichi-ue's successor that grandeur is to be expected."

"Ita-chan?" Mikoto was shocked. She hadn't expected Itachi to beat her to the punch. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course."

Itachi breezed by his parents to the living room. He found Izumi sitting on the couch, laughing in delight as she watched Sakura display her superiority over Sasuke in chakra control. It appeared he had walked in on an impromptu lesson on the mystical palm technique.

"Izumi."

"Hello, Itachi-kun," Izumi greeted him with a gentle smile. She didn't approach him, knowing he usually needed his space after meetings because they stressed him out.

"Let's visit your mother."

"Hm?"

"Come on." Itachi took her hand and guided her out the exit through the kitchen.

"What just happened?" Sakura turned to Sasuke, puzzled as Mikoto skipped by them humming an odd melody.

"I'm not sure." Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation. "Judging by how happy my mother is, I'm guessing she finally got Itachi to crack."

"Does that mean Izumi-nee-san and Itachi-nii-san are going to get married now?" Sakura squealed and clapped her hands together. She thought they were the most beautiful couple she had ever seen. Izumi would look wonderful in a shiromuku. Or an iro uchikake of a lavender coloring.

"Unfortunately," Sasuke grumbled.

"Don't be like that." Sakura playfully smacked his arm. "You should be happy for them. Stop being a spoilsport."

"Whatever. I'm not looking forward to having to wear a kimono."

"I think you would look really nice in a kimono," Sakura murmured bashfully. Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink color. Sasuke looked around for any family members before swooping down for a quick chaste kiss which caused Sakura to flush a deeper shade of pink all the way to the roots of her hair.

"You should be use to that by now." Sasuke smirked teasingly at her.

"You get use to it." Sakura pouted and then pushed herself up to retaliate and gave him an open mouthed kiss.

Since the end of last year, Sasuke and Sakura had been more affectionate with one another. They prefered their privacy and never openly displayed any affection in public. They hadn't bothered to tell anyone that they were seeing each other, mainly to avoid any embarrassment, and it seemed as though no one could tell that there was any change in their relationship. Much to Sasuke's embarrassment they had discovered that they had already been close enough that there really wasn't much they could do to change the dynamic of their relationship. It was no wonder their friends constantly teased them about dating each other. The only difference was that there was actually something to back the claims that they appeared more involved than they previously were.

"We need to stop," Sasuke mumbled, his ears turning red. "We already discussed that we wouldn't do anything in the main house anymore."

"Then maybe you should walk me home," Sakura said coyly.

Although Sasuke wouldn't mind telling his family about his relationship with Sakura, he relished the fact that what he and Sakura had was just for themselves. No nosy mother on his back like the way she was with Itachi and Izumi and no strict and traditional father breathing down their necks. He was enjoying kissing Sakura far too much to have it stop because his father insisted on a chaperone. He hadn't realized when he was younger that that had partially been why Shisui was always with Izumi and Itachi.

"I don't know. Your house is pretty far from here." Sasuke feigned laziness. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him in a playful glare, the corners of her mouth quirking upward.

"I can make it worth your while," Sakura whispered, tugging on the zipper of his high collar white top. He had an off day from the police force so he traded his uniform for his more relaxed shinobi attire.

Almost everything in Sasuke's wardrobe consisted of clothing he could use to go on missions or to train. Whenever Sakura wore her civilian clothing it made her wonder if they would still be walking together, shoulders brushing against each other, if she had never entered the academy. Probably not. She would have worked in her family's bakery and with Sasuke's aversion to sweets it was unlikely he would have ever walked into the shop.

Sasuke pulled Sakura into an alley near her home and pressed her against the brick wall. Sakura stood on her toes to reach Sasuke as he bent down to slant his mouth over hers. She had stopped growing and was just brushing five foot four but Sasuke seemed to still be growing away from her. Soon enough he would be a complete head taller.

As Sasuke opened up Sakura's mouth with his own, she clung to him tighter, pulling him in more fiercely when his fingers snuck under the hem of her top to run along her toned stomach. Weeks of stolen kisses made them knowledgeable of what the other enjoyed.

"I feel oddly like Yamanaka and the pasty moron," Sasuke grumbled. It felt like just yesterday he was threatening to give them a citation and now he was engaging in the same activities.

"Speaking of Ino, I'm going to tell her." Sakura left one last kiss on Sasuke's collar bone and then zipped up his top as high up as the zipper would go. She could heal the love bites she left but she quite preferred when he kept them and he seemed not to mind when she marked him up. "About us I mean. She's getting suspicious."

The other day Ino had accused Sakura of having a glow around her and being too happy. She also said that Sasuke was in way too good of a mood as of late and it was highly suspect that Sakura was glowing around the same time that Sasuke wasn't as much of a grouch as he usually was.

"She almost has as big a mouth as Naruto." Sasuke didn't want any gossip about them. Especially not any that could reach Naruto. Their boisterous friend would be obnoxious and wouldn't leave them alone ever again. And if Naruto impeded on their alone time he would maim the blond. Possibly rip his right arm out so that he couldn't eat his precious ramen.

"I think it would be fine. Nothing can be as embarrassing as Kakashi finding us and giving us the 'talk'. As if I, a trained medic, need to be lectured about safe sex."

"Speaking of," Sasuke coughed to hide his embarrassment. Kakashi had found him later that day and had given him a gift to ensure their wouldn't be any little Uchihas running around. Sasuke almost burned down acres of forest that day. "Are your parents home?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Sakura sighed. It took a lot for the two of them to get any quality time together for intimacy. They both still lived at home with their parents and Sakura refused to entertain the idea of Sasuke's more creative locations, like her office in the hospital. It was inappropriate and unprofessional and the probability of someone walking in on them was high. She almost caved in after a sparring session but the noise of a squad of genin approaching their hiding place on Training Ground Two had flustered her greatly and she had punched Sasuke into a tree. After a few months of dating they had only been successful on three separate occasions, once when no one was in the main house at the Uchiha compound and two more times while Sakura's parents had been at work. "It sucks because I really want you right now."

Heat creeped up Sasuke's face and he hid any redness by hiding in the high collar of his shirt. Sakura had always been more blunt with her feelings than him but it still threw him off that someone that looked so sweet and innocent was so forward. He enjoyed it greatly but he felt a little awkward at _how much_ he enjoyed the thought of his sweet childhood friend being so aggressive sexually. The contrast of her appearance and demeanor reminded him of how deceptive she was combat wise, small and delicate looking but with enough strength to crush boulders to dust with her pinky alone. Something about that excited him too but he didn't want to look into that too deeply.

"I'm going home before you tempt me to start something you're not going to want to try and finish in a dark alleyway."

"Go home Uchiha!" Sakura pushed him out into the street, her small hands on his back. She smacked her cheeks to calm herself down, and then marched home, red in the face.

* * *

Mikoto was on cloud nine. It was already such a good start to her year when Sakura had been spending more time in her home over the past few weeks. She hadn't expected Itachi to finally agree to a wedding but it was the middle of March now and if she could rush the order on the furisode she had her eye on they could hold the wedding during hanami. Mikoto adored spring weddings and she would be damned if Itachi and Izumi weren't married surrounded by cherry blossoms in bloom.

"That is such a lovely color," Mebuki gushed at the swatches of fabric that Mikoto had brought over. Mikoto was so excited that she carried around her catalogues and book of plans everywhere, including to her afternoon tea time with her best friend.

"The silk lilac one would look so beautiful with Izumi's coloring," Mikoto sighed dreamily. "I've had it reserved since she was sixteen."

Mikoto had also recently reserved a scarlet furisode with a cherry blossom print but she wasn't going to mention that to Mebuki yet.

"It must be nice to have something as wonderful as a wedding to plan." Mebuki looked downcast at her cup of tea. "I know she's only turning eighteen soon but Sakura isn't even showing any interest in romance. She use to gush about Sasuke all of the time when she was younger but that stopped when she turned thirteen. Everything is about the hospital and storing chakra nowadays. She's been getting really excited about something called the Byakugō no In. I feel like I'm never going to see her married."

Mebuki slumped in her seat. She had never thought that Sakura would become so serious about her career as a shinobi. She had actually thought that at some point she would settle down with a nice civilian boy and take over her father's bakery.

Mikoto was practically screaming internally. Everything seemed to be aligning perfectly for her. Itachi was getting married and now it seemed as though Mebuki would be more than happy to set her daughter up for an omiai. Maybe even an omiai with Mikoto's other son…

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: this chapter is kind of filler until the events of next chapter. I'm hoping this chapter was still interesting…**_

 _ **Next chapter is pretty much already all written and planned out in my head 'cause I gotta do more with Naruto, I gotta...so hopefully it will be out by the end of the week**_

 _ **I love when you guys make a comment with a question about something and as I'm reading it I'm just like "...they're in my head…" because most of the time it's something I'm already thinking about how to include into the story**_


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_**Author's Note: I know I said I wouldn't put any author's notes at the top of a chapter but I have updated two chapters in one day and I wouldn't want you to skip a chapter. Go back and read Chapter Thirteen if you haven't already.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Sakura was already feeling on edge because she was surrounded by a sea of dark haired and expressionless Uchiha. Naruto wasn't making it easier by fidgeting so much.

"I thought that this was a party," Naruto grumbed. He pulled at his orange tie, feeling trapped in his formal attire. He had never been to a wedding so when Mikoto had invited him to Itachi and Izumi's reception he was excited, a little crestfallen because he couldn't attend the ceremony but still excited nonetheless.

"I don't think the stuffed shirt elders 'party', Naruto. And stop messing with that." Sakura fixed Naruto's tie again. Iruka-sensei had helped Naruto dress earlier but Naruto kept ruining the desired effect of the articles of clothing by moving around a lot and pulling at the garments. Sakura wasn't sure where Naruto's jacket had gone. It had gone mysteriously missing within the past hour.

"It freaks me out how quiet they are. Shouldn't they be happy? It's a wedding." Naruto pulled away from Sakura's reach. He was fed up with being fussed with. "And why don't they serve ramen? I would serve ramen at _my_ wedding reception."

"Yeah, good luck convincing the Hyuga of that." Sakura rolled her eyes. Naruto was behaving so childishly. She didn't call him out on it because she knew he was only acting out because he hadn't heard from Jiraiya in a long time.

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled. Sakura almost smacked her own forehead. She knew it was sore subject for him and forgot. It was easy to forget with supporters of his relationship with Hinata like Hanabi and Neji, but Naruto still wasn't well liked by the Hyuga clan. It was likely that Hiashi would look for a groom for Hinata amongst the Hyuga even though she was no longer his successor.

"Lee-san says that according to Neji-san that Hiashi-san has been showing more leniency. He's not as strict in following clan traditions. You shouldn't worry so much."

"Why are you talking to Lee?" Sakura and Naruto turned at the sound of Sasuke's disgruntled voice. At the sight of him, Naruto openly guffawed and Sakura flushed pink. "What are you laughing at, moron?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Sakura's pink face and smirked. There was some benefits to being forced to wear traditional formal attire. Making his girlfriend flustered was highly amusing. If he could get her alone he wouldn't mind letting her undress him.

"Wait, if you're here then…" Sakura trailed off as she spotted the bride and groom enter the courtyard of the Uchiha banquet hall. "They're beautiful."

Sakura stared in wonder at the dazzling smile Izumi had on her face. Being a bride suited Izumi well. Although Izumi had a smile that could outshine the sun, the real star of the show was the gentle smile on Itachi's face whenever he looked at Izumi. The smile was small and gentle but held so much warmth and love. It made Sakura wonder why they even bothered putting off marriage for so long. As shinobi it wasn't as if they were too young to be married.

"Should we go congratulate them now or should we wait?" Sakura asked but was answered by the group of people approaching them. It would be difficult to reach them at this point. "Oh no."

"What?" Sasuke looked over at his brother and saw the unmistakeable cherry blossom shaped hair of Kizashi and the blonde hair of Sakura's mother amongst the crowd of dark haired Uchiha trying to speak to the bride and groom.

"They stick out like a sore thumb don't they?" Sakura muttered in embarrassment. She could just imagine the jokes her father would try to tell and cringed.

"They're not that bad. He brought Izumi's favorite cakes so he's her favorite guest so far." Sasuke watched as Sakura wrung her hands together and took her elbow in his hand. It was meant to be a soothing gesture and Sakura leaned into his touch. "Where's the dobe?"

"I think he wandered back inside the hall to get food. I hope he stays away from the sake. Alcohol burns through him fast but it hits him hard while it's still in his system."

"Let's go stop him. I don't plan on babysitting him today." Sasuke went to lead her inside but was stopped by a dark blur coming to a stop in front of them. Shisui appeared, dressed in modern formal wear.

"Hey, Shrimp." Shisui went to ruffle Sasuke's hair. Sasuke growled and smacked at his arm. The nickname was getting old now that he was the same height as Itachi and only a few centimeters shy of Shisui's height. He was sure he would end up as tall as Shisui if not taller. "You look even lovelier today, Sakura-chan."

"Thank you." Sakura smoothed out her chiffon skirt and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Sakura was more confident in her appearance now than when she was younger but it still made her bashful to hear compliments.

"Walk around with me?" Shisui held out his arm for her to take.

"We were just about to go find Naruto." Sasuke cut in and took Sakura's arm and hooked it in his. He glared at his flirt of a cousin and led Sakura away from him as quickly as he could without making a spectacle of themselves.

"That's unexpected," Sakura whispered to him as they strolled through the gardens. "I didn't think you could get jealous."

"I'm not," Sasuke lied through his teeth. If you had asked twelve year old Sasuke about jealousy he would first think about the attention his father bestowed Itachi and Itachi's natural talent. Almost eighteen now and Sasuke realized that over the years he no longer felt jealous when it involved his brother but Sakura. It wasn't a feeling he liked but it did go away a bit when he and Sakura became involved romantically.

"Where are we going?" Sakura was puzzled at the route that Sasuke had taken them. They were moving away from the grand hall where the food and most of the guests were and down an emptier corridor.

"I wanted to give this to you some time today." Sasuke pulled out a pale blue rectangular box he had tucked into his obi. "My mother was crushed when she realized she accidentally set up the date on your birthday. Open it."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the almost commanding way he asked her to open her gift but did as she was told. Sakura's eyes softened when she saw five small pink diamonds surrounding and even smaller white diamond in the shape of a cherry blossom strung through a delicate rose gold chain. She beamed at Sasuke and immediately put it on.

"That's the cheesiest thing you could have ever gotten me," Sakura teased him. "But it's beautiful and I love it."

"I don't think it's that cheesy," Sasuke mumbled to himself, his ears turning red. He had a flashback to being thirteen and tucking away a white hair ribbon into the bottom drawer of his dresser. He still regretted never giving Sakura the White Day gift he had originally planned to give her before deciding against doing so.

Upon hearing Izumi gush about how gifts for White Day should be white he picked out a new ribbon for Sakura. Sasuke hadn't expected the hair accessory to trigger memories of the Forest of Death. All he could think about was petal pink hair scattered all over the forest floor and bruises and cuts on normally creamy and unblemished skin. The memories led to him thinking dark things about his feelings for Sakura. He stuffed the ribbon away and refused to look at it, resulting in the incident that happened on White Day because of Rock Lee's flowers.

He really sucked when it came to expressing his feelings when he was younger. A lot of it could be contributed to the cursed seal but upon reflection he realized he could have been just a little kinder to his teammate considering she wasn't like the girls from the Academy.

It was one of the reasons why he loved kissing Sakura. Besides the physical pleasure he got from the act, it helped him express a lot he couldn't say.

Knowing that if he kissed her now that he wouldn't stop, Sasuke took Sakura's long pink hair in his hand and kissed it instead. Sakura instantly flushed pink, pretty jade eyes going wide. Watching her get so flustered caused Sasuke's face to heat up as well.

"What was that!?" Sakura clapped her hands over her cheeks to try and hide the red of her face.

"I-I saw Aniki do it to Izumi once and I guess it's sort of been stuck in my head." Sasuke hid his face by burying it into her neck. It would have been less embarrassing to get caught kissing her by one of his relatives. He forgot that only Itachi would do something as old fashioned as that considering he took his father's words of waiting until marriage much more seriously than Sasuke ever did.

"I'm not sure whether I should find that cute or embarrassing."

"He calls her Zu-Zu when he thinks they're alone. I think embarrassing is the right thing to consider it."

"No, that's kind of cute. I didn't realize that your brother could be so affectionate."

"Neither did I."

There was a lot Sasuke had been learning about his brother within the past few weeks. He had never considered his brother to be anything but cool and composed but it turned out that Itachi had a side of him no one knew about until Mikoto started wedding preparations. Sasuke always thought it was the woman that usually went on a rampage but his older brother had turned bridezilla within the two weeks leading to his wedding, arguing with his mother about details that would be more fitting and would highlight Izumi's beauty better. Izumi never had to argue about what floral arrangements she wanted in the hall or anything. Itachi did it all for her and she just sat there smiling prettily.

Luckily, Sasuke got his normally composed brother back this morning when they got dressed and walked to Naka shrine to hold the ceremony. He wasn't sure how to handle a high strung brother anymore and avoiding him was getting harder and harder. He almost clapped when Itachi and Izumi finished taking their three sips each from three cups of sake.

Sasuke lifted his head up and looked at Sakura at eye level. She was so small in comparison to him that he was practically leaning over her to look her in the eye. Sakura smiled softly at him and moved to cup his cheek with her hand before they were interrupted.

"Ah gross! Are you guys having eye sex again?" Naruto had rounded the corner with a plate piled high with food. "I walk away for a moment and you guys start acting gross. Why don't you just fuck and get it over with already?"

"Naruto!" Sakura burned red but was beaten by Sasuke in punching Naruto in the gut. It was actually better that he had done it instead. There wasn't any guarantee of Sakura not causing property damage and she was sure the Uchiha wouldn't take too kindly to her sending Naruto through the walls of their ceremonial hall.

Sakura sighed as Naruto and Sasuke bickered. Some things just didn't change.

* * *

Izumi sighed contently, snuggling against Itachi's arm. It had been a long day of ignoring the sneers of old fools. She could handle anything the old bats threw at her. At the end of the day she was the wife of the man she loved since she was a child and that was all that mattered.

"It was a pretty long day huh?" She giggled as Itachi leaned all of his weight against her and dropped his head onto hers. He groaned and wrapped an arm around her waist, snuggling back. "I can't believe your mother got our marriage home ready so quickly."

"She almost didn't have it ready on time. I had her send almost half of the furniture back. Okaa-san was well intentioned but you wouldn't have liked some of the things she picked out at all."

Izumi laughed and slumped deeper into the plush couch of her new home. Traditionally they would have only needed their marriage home temporarily as they would have had to reside in the main house since Itachi was the next clan head but Itachi and she wanted to live away from his parents in a home of their own. Luckily for them, most would assume they would want their privacy as newlyweds. No matter how different their situation was from other couples.

"We don't have to do anything tonight, Itachi-kun." It was a discussion Izumi knew had to be brought up now that they were wed and people expected her to become pregnant now that Itachi and her would be spending so much time alone together. Izumi loved her husband and would never do anything to bring him discomfort. "We don't need to do anything like consummating our marriage. It's real to me and to you without having sex."

"I want to," Itachi said softly. He pulled away from her so that he could look straight into her eyes as he spoke. "I would very much like to be close to you in all ways, Izumi."

Izumi took Itachi's hand in her own and rubbed his knuckles with her thumb. She brought his hand to her cheek and kissed the palm.

"If you are uncomfortable in anyway we can stop. We _will_ stop because you will tell me. Okay, dear?" Izumi said firmly as she kissed his palm again. "I love you so much Itachi-kun and it is my heart's desire to make you the happiest man in the world. I only want your comfort."

"And it is for that reason I would like to become one with you in body as we are in spirit," Itachi smiled softly at his wife and led her to their bedroom.

"I hope you feel as safe with me as I do with you," Izumi whispered. Itachi squeezed her hand, knowing she didn't mean physical safety.

"I do," he replied, shutting the door of their bedroom. Shutting the door and shutting everything out from their world.

* * *

Ino frowned at her best friend and drummed her nails against the countertop of her family's flower shop. There was something different about her but she couldn't tell.

Over the past few months Sakura had lost even more baby fat from her face so her features were more angular and mature and she had decided to keep her hair long despite having said short hair was better as a shinobi. All of this Ino had gotten use to already so she wasn't sure what she was looking out for.

"Okay. I think I'll go with a dozen sunflowers." Sakura brought the bright yellow flowers to the counter. "I think Izumi-nee-san would like them."

As Sakura placed the flowers on the counter and reached for her money pouch, Ino caught the glimmer of something sparkly around Sakura's neck.

"What's that?" Ino reached for her pendant but Sakura was quicker and grasped it in her hand to protect it. "Oh, wow. Really, Forehead? I just want to see it."

"Careful," Sakura murmured, letting go so that Ino could get a better look. Ino let a low whistle and nodded approvingly.

"That is super pretty. And definitely expensive."

"Oh my gods, I hadn't even considered the price!" Sakura's eyes went wide in horror. She was in such bliss the past few days, so happy with receiving such a lovely gift she hadn't even considered how much Sasuke must have spent to buy her birthday gift.

"Oh, no. Don't you dare, Forehead!" Ino could practically see Sakura's brain working as she contemplated bringing up the matter to Sasuke. Ino instantly knew it had to come from the Uchiha since Sakura went into a minor panic as soon Ino mentioned the word "expensive." If Sakura's parents had bought it she wouldn't have freaked out as much because she knew she would have insulted her parents by bringing up the cost.

"But─"

"No buts!" Ino crossed her arms in front of her chest and brought herself up to her full height, taking advantage of her high heeled shinobi sandals making her taller than Sakura. "That man gave that to you with the intention to show you how special you are to him. Let. Him. Spoil. You. He has the money for it."

"I agree with Beautiful." Sai came in from the back room with a giant pot. He was wearing a Yamanka Flower Shop apron.

"Gods, do you guys do anything without the other?" Sakura gaped as Sai moved around the store doing some of Ino's duties.

"I mean, yeah but why waste our free time apart? I am a very busy woman, Sakura." Ino tossed her hair over her shoulder and held her head high. She was a busy woman considering she worked shifts at the hospital and at the flower shop in between missions and training to join Konohagakure's Intelligence Division as an interrogator.

Sakura frowned and opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of an explosion.

"What was that?" She asked as she, Ino, and Sai ran out of the shop.

Civilians were rushing through the streets in a panic as the sounds of more explosions filled the air.

"Konoha's under attack," Ino cried out as the three of them rushed to assist the village's non-shinobi population.

 _What's going on!?_ Sakura raced through the streets. _Why would anyone attack Konoha?_

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes: chapter fourteen complete. I'm sorry that this came out so quickly but it all just came out and I am really impatient about updating. I should have married it with Chapter Thirteen but I think it flows better separately. I wasn't originally going to go into any details about Itachi and Izumi's wedding and let it happen offscreen but I kind of wanted to include some moments since it was an excuse for fluff.**_

 _ **I'm sorry if it goes against anyone else's headcanons but I headcanon Itachi as asexual (If anyone is curious I also headcanon Sasuke as demisexual). I wanted to write that scene about Itachi and Izumi's wedding night when I decided to write anything about their wedding because I wanted to reference that.**_

 _ **I wrote it keeping in mind my own experiences as asexual when I first had sex with my ex-boyfriend. There's something about comfort and feeling emotionally safe that I wanted Itachi and Izumi to have. That was just playing in my head because in Itachi Shinden, the novel, Itachi chose to give her a peaceful death, letting her live out their lives together in a genjutsu.**_

 _ **Unfortunately for the next chapter, the invasion will mostly be in small flashbacks and in discussion. As you have noticed I am mainly a dialogue heavy writer and I feel as though any attempts to write action scenes would be done poorly. I am better at fluff sadly…**_

 _ **So sorry if anyone was hoping for action scenes. I will try but I cannot guarantee it. I wish I was good at action, it would be awesome to write some badass scenes for the characters. But to be honest I will probably focus more on the aftermath of the invasion and its effect on the Uchiha clan and other characters. I need to write more Naruto in this but I am failing at it lol…**_

 _ **Next update will be released in a few days. I am able to write often because I work as an office clerk always at a computer.**_


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

Sakura dropped face first on the cot made available to her in her tent. She was so tired that she didn't even care that it wasn't her soft bed in her home. She wasn't even sure she would even be able to locate where her house use to be.

At the moment all she wanted to do was sleep but she knew that she would have to check on Lady Tsunade again. It wasn't until sometime toward the end of the attack that Sakura had completed storing chakra and gained the Byakugō no In and was unable to assist the Godaime until it was already too late and Tsunade had exhausted her chakra reserves.

"At least I have it now…" Sakura poked at her own forehead over the purple rhombus mark. She smiled, proud of herself. A coughing sound at the entrance of her tent had her sitting up quickly. Her eyes went wide at the sight of her visitor.

Uchiha Fugaku entered her tent looking more apprehensive than Sakura could recall ever seeing him. In fact she couldn't recall seeing him as anything but stoic and stern. Although she got along fine with Itachi and Mikoto she never really spoke to Fugaku beyond greetings in all of the years that she had been friends with Sasuke.

"I am sorry for the intrusion." Fugaku had a much lower voice than Sasuke that reminded her slightly of Itachi.

"You're not intruding," Sakura replied quickly, cringing at how high her voice sounded. "Is there anything I may assist you with?"

"You…" Fugaku averted his gaze for a moment before looking at Sakura directly. There was a hazy look in his eyes as if he weren't able to focus well. It was the same way Sasuke and Itachi's eyes looked after they overexerted their use of the sharingan. "You have been helping my sons with their... _condition_."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock but she quickly composed herself. The only people that knew about the healing sessions for Itachi and Sasuke were the Uchiha head family, Team Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shisui. Not even Shizune was privy to the knowledge that the Uchiha brothers had the Mangekyō Sharingan and their files regarding their health. It was under Fugaku's orders that it remain a secret from their clan and the villagers.

"Would you like me to examine your eyes?" Fugaku nodded and Sakura took out her notebook and pen and began an initial consultation. She helped ease the pain to his eyes and examined the chakra pathways in his eyes. There was quite a lot of strain on the nerves and blood vessels surrounding the eye which Sakura had expected.

All the tension Fugaku held washed away when Sakura's chakra entered his system. Although Sakura worked with detached professional, her chakra reflected her feelings of care and was warm and gentle. It was so soothing that if he wasn't careful Fugaku was sure he would fall asleep.

After the past seventy-two hours that he had, Sakura's chakra was the best feeling ever. It was no wonder his sons only went to her when they needed a medic.

"Sir? Uchiha-san?" Sakura blinked up at him, unsure how to get his attention. The man seemed exhausted.

"Thank you," Fugaku said, recovering quickly from his daze. "I need to ask for your discretion. Not even my sons can know why I came to see you."

"Of course, sir." Sakura tried hard not to feel insulted by the implication that she would gossip about her patients' conditions. She would have to assume he only brought it up because he knew she was trying to help Itachi and Sasuke deal with the symptoms of their own Mangekyō Sharingans. "May I ask a question?"

"I don't use it often enough to be able to supply any debilitating symptoms. It is just because of recent events that I am feeling eye strain."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Sakura couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. She really needed as much information as she could get. So far Itachi had the worst symptoms. She found him to have hemoptysis when he went too long without healing sessions. He was taking medication to help in between sessions but it was becoming clear that he had an illness similar to Microscopic Polyangiitis. Sakura was able to alleviate pain and a lot of the damage his body was sustaining but the symptoms kept returning after a while.

"Have a good evening, Haruno-san." Fugaku bowed and left the tent. He was grateful for her help but he couldn't allow someone outside the clan to know any of the Uchiha secrets.

Fugaku wasn't one to openly discuss how he felt about others. He spoke often about his sons to his wife and gave input when she discussed matters concerning anyone outside their immediate family but very rarely. Fugaku never mentioned it to Mikoto but as the years went by he was starting to understand why she was so taken with Haruno Sakura.

At first he didn't think much of the pink haired child. He knew her as the civilian born child that beat out his youngest on every written test in the Academy but beyond that had no real talent. Fugaku wasn't too excited that a girl with no _real_ clan, lacking in combat skill, bloodline limit, or special clan jutsu was placed into his son's genin squad. It was almost insulting considering Sasuke was also placed with the village's jinchūriki, a reminder of the attack that caused the Uchiha clan to be isolated and mistrusted by the village.

Fugaku didn't blame Naruto. In fact he would have let Mikoto take the son of her best friend into their home if it weren't for the fact that no one would allow an Uchiha such access to the kyūbi.

Sakura was a sweet child and much smarter than even most adults he knew. Fugaku at first thought Mikoto only had such fondness for the girl because she was pretty, a rare type of beauty, like the different knick knacks she collected. He was proven wrong when she and his son were thirteen and they were informed of the events of the Forest of Death. He couldn't deny that she was a brave little girl. And now here she was, a top tier medic-nin on par with her master, a Senju, and possibly would even _surpass_ said master. Sakura was proof that sometimes which clan you came from meant nothing.

 _Mikoto was always good at finding diamonds in the rough,_ Fugaku chuckled inwardly. To think his wife's way with flea market goods worked with people as well.

Fugaku was mentally going over the police force's procedure for dealing with disasters and the patrol rotations when he noticed the tall form of his youngest son walking in his direction with his head down to the ground.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Fugaku called out, voice a lot gruffer than he had thought it would be. "What are you doing in the camp?"

Sasuke lifted his head and his eyes widened. He hadn't expected to see his father in the camp considering it wasn't his shift to patrol. The police force had organized the villagers in the relief camp and were making rounds to keep peace during such a stressful time. The villagers of Konoha were relatively peaceful but occasionally the police officers had to break up some parties in honor of their new hero because they got to rowdy or to assist in the distribution of supplies.

"I volunteered for another shift of patrol," Sasuke replied. It was the best reason he could come up with since he was still in uniform.

He had already done his rounds during the day and should have been making his way back inside to the Uchiha district. Because of it's location far from the rest of the village, it had sustained the least amount of damage. Most of the homes were still up and it had appeared as though the village were just hit by a simple earthquake with how much physical damage the district had actually taken. This fact had caused a majority of the villagers that had lost their homes to have bitter feelings toward the Uchiha.

"That was an unwise decision to make. You've already clocked in a great amount of hours and exceeded the amount of work hours you are able to complete even during a disaster." Fugaku crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned at his youngest son. "Not only is it hazardous to your health but without rest you are in no shape to perform to the utmost of your abilities. No officer of mine will risk giving a sloppy and unfocused performance. Go home and rest, Sasuke."

"Yes, sir." Sasuke bowed and tried to relax his jaw muscles. He had clenched it so tightly as his father spoke. He flinched when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. He relaxed when he looked up at his father and saw the soft and tired expression on his face.

"Let's go home. Your mother is probably waiting to fuss over us."

Sasuke nodded and reluctantly walked with his father. He hadn't seen Sakura besides the few brief moments he brought hurt civilians and shinobi to the hospital or when he saw the flash of her long pink hair as she darted through the rubble. Not even in the aftermath as they had set up the relief camp had he been able to get even a moment with her. He had really wanted to visit her and had only now gotten the free time to find her family's location on the list of villagers that the force had drawn up. Sasuke hadn't expected to run into his father so close to her tent.

"You can visit your friend tomorrow. I'm sure all of the medics would really appreciate time to rest," Fugaku said, noticing the tension in his son's body. "I'm sure if you interrupted her sleep she would probably punch you clear across to the next village. Wouldn't want that to happen now, would we?"

Fugaku chose to ignore the way the back of Sasuke's neck turned red. Playing ignorant and pretending not to recognize his son's growing feelings for his teammate was becoming harder to do. He smirked at Sasuke's unintelligible mumbling. It amused him greatly how similar his youngest was to how he was when he was younger. He frowned when he realized how sad it also was that apparently one of his children inherited his embarrassing inability to court properly.

 _Maybe Mikoto is right...perhaps some meddling is necessary._

* * *

Naruto never thought he would miss alone time but after the past few days he was desperate to get some. The attention and adoration of his fellow villagers was amazing but he also wanted some more time to be able to grieve.

Jiraiya was his godfather and it felt like no one remembered that. He was still peeved at Tsunade for not having informed him of his death the moment she knew. Jiraiya was her best friend and Naruto and her could have leaned on each other as they mourned him.

"Yo."

Naruto sighed and looked down from his hiding spot in a tree. Sasuke was waiting below, beers in hand.

"Hey."

Sasuke climbed up the tree and swung his legs over the branch Naruto was sitting on. He handed Naruto a beer and then looked off into the distance drinking his own. The two of them sat there in companionable silence and Naruto appreciated that Sasuke wasn't trying to force a conversation about Naruto's feelings. Right now he needed this, just someone to be there. When he was ready to talk he would go to Sakura. He loved both of his friends equally but they were completely different people and he needed them for different things.

"I'm dating Sakura," Sasuke broke the silence. Naruto nearly slipped out of the tree in shock.

"Where the hell did that come from!? And what!? Since when? Don't tell me it started because of the freaking attack!"

"That was the fifth time you sighed in the thirty minutes I've been here so I assumed you needed a distraction." Sasuke shrugged and took another swig from his bottle.

"That was a pretty good fucking distraction! You didn't answer my questions though." Naruto had always suspected something was going on between Sasuke and Sakura. It was just kind of obvious, like Shikamaru and the Temari girl, Gaara's older sister. He just thought Sasuke was too much of an idiot to do anything about it.

"We've been together for months. Since before the new year."

"It's been at least four months already! How did I not know about this?" Naruto was feeling kind of hurt. Sasuke and Sakura were his family and they had kept a secret from him.

"We're kind of keeping it secret."

"Why do you need to keep it a secret?" Naruto watched as color rose to his friend's pale face. Naruto smirked knowing that his friend was embarrassed about something. "What? Wanted to keep Sakura-chan all to yourself? I've seen the way Mikoto-kaa is with Izumi-nee. Didn't want mommy stealing your girlfriend?"

"I will kick you out of this tree." Sasuke raised a leg at him threateningly. "Well, now you know. Don't go blabbing about it. I'm sure Sakura wouldn't like it if she knew you were the cause of our relationship being interfered with."

Naruto shivered. Nothing was scarier than a pissed off Sakura. He would ask how Sasuke dealt with her anger but in all honesty it was very rare for Sakura to ever actually be pissed off with Sasuke. It had been like that since they were kids. It use to upset Naruto that he wasn't her favorite and he had contributed that to his old crush on her. But after a while he realized that it also upset him that he wasn't _Sasuke's_ favorite and that weirded him out until he realized the similarities in his feelings for Sakura and Sasuke. He was just the kid brother that wanted all of the attention.

"I think I'm in love with Hyuga Hinata." Sasuke spit out the swig of beer he just took. He was thrown off by the randomness of Naruto's statement.

"I would hope so. You're dating her, aren't you?"

"It's different. Dating someone and actually having feelings of love for them." Naruto let out another sigh, now reminded again of his godfather. "Take Pervy Sage for example. He chased skirts left and right but the one he truly loved was Tsunade-baa. Too bad she could only ever love one man. And I love Sakura-chan and I love you. But the way I love you guys is completely different from Hinata-chan. With you guys I feel safe and happy, of course but...with Hinata-chan...I feel like a sunflower and she's the sun."

"What?"

"Like...have you ever seen sunflowers? They turn towards the sun always seeking it's warmth and I feel like that with Hinata-chan. Like I'm always seeking her and her warmth. Like I need it and I need her. Without her I'm just floppy and dull and life just sucks." Naruto leaned back against the tree trunk. "I wish they'd let me see her."

During his fight with Pein, Hinata had rushed out in Naruto's defense despite knowing there wasn't anything she could do to help and against the wishes of one of her clan members and Naruto. Believing she had died had caused Naruto to slip into the six-tails transformation. After the assault had ended Naruto found out that Sakura had healed Hinata and he was instantly relieved. Although she had made a full recovery and Naruto had been proclaimed the village's hero, the Hyuga were not happy with Naruto. They blamed him for Hinata being placed in danger. As a result Naruto hadn't been able to see Hinata at all, the last image he had of her was her being struck down by Pein.

"Wait a second," Naruto tried to distract himself from his misery, "did you imply you wouldn't date someone unless you were in love with them? Are you in love with Sakura-chan? Oh my gods you are."

Sasuke kicked Naruto out of the tree. They were actually having a nice peaceful moment before the moron ruined it. Naruto dusted himself off and was about to start cursing and yelling at Sasuke but remembered how late it was. At this time of night everyone should be sleeping, the night patrol members of the police force excluded.

"Come on. Let's go back to my place." Sasuke jumped down from the tree and stifled a yawn. "My mother wouldn't mind me sneaking out if she finds out I was just going to get you. She hasn't had a chance to fuss over you yet has she?"

"I don't think it's such a good idea for me to go to the Uchiha district right now." It had just dawned on Naruto that he still hadn't mentioned something to Sasuke that he had been meaning to.

"Why not?"

"Remember how I said I saw my dad when the ninth tail was about to be released?" Sasuke nodded, waiting for the explanation as to why they were bringing up an old conversation. "There was a moment before that─and I could have just been imagining it but I highly doubt it─where I saw your dad. It was really weird. He was talking but then he was gone."

" _You saw my dad?_ " Nothing could have prepared Sasuke for that piece of information. It didn't make sense. Why would Naruto have seen his father?

"Let's not talk about this now that we're out in the open and stuff," Naruto said. He could sense Sasuke's confusion but it didn't feel safe to have this discussion where anyone could hear them.

"Yeah. But we do need to talk about it. That's just weird…"

"Let's just turn in for the night." Naruto clapped a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and smirked. "Besides, I'm sure you didn't sneak out of your house to see _me_."

Naruto dodged a punch and ran off with Sasuke chasing him through the trees.

* * *

"Sakura."

The lump of blankets on the cot shuffled a bit but other than that was unresponsive. Sakura had made herself a giant cocoon like she usually did when she went to sleep. Sasuke mostly wondered where she was able to get so many blankets from.

"Sakura." Sasuke shook the lump and Sakura let out a whining sound.

"Five more minutes…"

"How about you just scoot over and let me lie down next to you."

Sakura tossed the blankets off of her head and gave Sasuke a sleepy smile when she realized who was intruding on her sleep. Sasuke's eyes softened at how adorable she was all curled up and tired but still smiling sweetly at him.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked while pulling him down toward her. Sasuke gently pried her arms off from around his neck and helped her adjust her blankets so he could crawl into the cot with her. The cot was small, only meant for one person, so they had to lie down with their limbs entangled, Sakura throwing a leg over Sasuke's hip and her arms around his torso and Sasuke with a leg between hers and his arm around her waist, his hand on the small of her back.

"It's been three days," Sasuke poked her forehead. "Can't I miss you?"

"Hmm!" Sakura nuzzled her face against his chest and gave him a squeeze. Sasuke groaned and she loosened her grip. She sometimes forgot just how strong she was and how easy it would be to break him if she wasn't careful. "You're so warm."

"How can you be so cold all of the time?"

"I'm tiny!" Sakura pouted. "And sorry that I don't have fire coursing in my veins like some people."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and brought her in closer. He kind of enjoyed the fact that Sakura got cold easily. It meant that she would try and get closer to his body warmth and that just meant that she would press her body against his.

"I missed you too, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn. Go to sleep."

Sakura giggled and snuggled against him more. Soon enough she was drifting to sleep, the sound of Sasuke's breathing and steady heartbeat her lullaby.

"Oh my gods!"

Sasuke sat up quickly. It felt like he had only slept for five minutes but the light coming in through the flap of Sakura's tent was proof that he had been resting for hours.

"Oh gods, you're naked. What the fuck Sasuke?"

Sasuke squinted at the entrance of the flap and then his eyes went wide. His cousin Shisui was standing there, mouth gaping open. He wasn't sure if he should explain that he had only removed his shirt in the middle of the night because he had gotten too warm or yell at his cousin for being there in the first place. He went with the latter.

"What the hell are you doing here Shisui?"

"I was going to ask Sakura-chan if she's seen you because you were missing this morning but I didn't expect to find you here!" Shisui's ears were tinted red. Although he had teased Sasuke growing up about his relationship with Sakura he never expected to find them in bed together.

"Um?" Sakura had pulled the blanket back up to her chin, her face was red. "Is it possible for you to wait outside? I'm not entirely decent."

Although Sakura walked around in small spandex shorts only covered with her medic apron and a sleeveless vest top, there was something embarrassing about being seen braless in tiny cotton pajama shorts and a camisole by a man that wasn't Sasuke.

"Of course!" Shisui waved his hands around nervously as Sasuke glared at him. "I'm just going to wait right out here."

Shisui backpedaled out of the tent and stood outside with his hands covering his face. He was a grown ass man and somehow a couple of teenagers had caused him to get all flustered.

 _What the fuck am I supposed to do with this information? Do I tell Itachi? Do I tell anyone!? Oh, gods...why couldn't he just stay a shrimp forever?_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Here's chapter fifteen!**_

 _ **So. I went more dialogue heavy because I didn't really want to ever do action scenes for this fic but at the same time I wanted to reference the Pein's Assault event. It was the moment Naruto became a hero and I kind of needed him to still have that moment, especially if I wanted him to become Hokage later on.**_

 _ **I finally had some Fugaku and Sakura interaction, whoo!**_

 _ **I started some NaruHina drama, don't worry it won't last long. I just wanted to showcase a Sasuke-Sakura support system for Naruto. Plus he's their best friend and I barely had him in the fic.**_

 _ **And well, Shisui knows now lol so that's one family member that knows something is going on**_

 _ **Next update up in a few days**_


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

Shisui kept sneaking glances at his younger cousin. He and Sasuke had returned to patrol duty for the day and were overseeing the safety of the villagers assisting the carpenters that had just arrived from the Land of Waves.

There wasn't anything particularly different about his cousin. Sasuke still stood with an impassive expression and the stoic aura that he usually displayed. Shisui had tried to stay professional but it was getting harder the more he was around him.

"Your girlfriend is freakin' scary."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his older cousin's outburst. He couldn't fight the upward turn of his mouth when he saw the slight fear in Shisui's eyes. Shisui caught him smirking and got annoyed.

"It's not funny! I almost pissed myself!"

* * *

 _Shisui trembled as Sakura smiled up at him. He tried to focus on something else besides the icy grin but anytime he looked away the splintering sound of wood increased. Sakura's fist was embedded in the tree he was up against, right by his head._

" _What did you see?"_

" _Nothing!" Shisui squeaked._

" _And who are you going to tell about seeing nothing?"_

" _No one!"_

" _Again, what did you see?"_

 _Shisui looked over Sakura's head to Sasuke. He had just stood a few feet behind her with his hands in his pockets. Shisui took note of the way his cousin smirked whenever he flinched at the sound of the wood cracking even more._

" _I saw nothing and I will tell no one!" Shisui flinched at the sound of Sakura pulling her fist out of the tree and then again when she gently patted his upper arm._

" _Good!" Sakura gave him one of her more pleasant smiles and then skipped away to Sasuke. She pecked him quickly on the cheek and told him she would see him later. Sasuke's cheeks heated to a pink hue but Shisui couldn't find that adorable. Not when he was using all of his strength and concentration on not sliding to the ground due to his trembling legs._

* * *

"You've known her for years, Shisui." Sasuke rolled his eyes at his cousin's behavior. "You know what she's capable of."

"No." Shisui stuck out his hand in Sasuke's direction, giving him the gesture to stop. "I was blinded by her cuteness. I knew she could crush boulders and punch craters into the ground but none of that mattered until now. Oh my gods she's going to break me in half."

"Not if you keep your mouth shut."

But that was the problem. Shisui wasn't sure if he could keep his mouth shut. The first person he thought of bringing this up to was Itachi. Itachi was his best friend, the person he cared about most in the world; how was he suppose to keep a secret like that from him? How could he not discuss it with anyone? He was in so much shock and needed to be able to communicate with someone in order to comprehend what had just happened.

"How did it even start? You're such a dork that I can't see you being able to ask anyone out let alone sleep with them." Shisui held back from laughing when Sasuke's ears turned a violent shade of red. The only way he was going to get any answers was if he toned down on his usual teasing.

"I kissed her and everything fell into place," Sasuke answered without looking at his cousin. "I don't know why it's such a shock to you. You all have been making fun of me for years now. Apparently it was only obvious that we would get together."

Sasuke had him there. When Sasuke and Sakura were little kids it was obnoxiously obvious how much the pink haired girl liked her teammate. She followed him around everywhere and showed how much she favored him all of the time. As she grew up she had matured and toned down her affections and then it had become Sasuke's turn to be the one to follow her around. It was hilarious watching them when they were young teens because Sasuke would act as if Sakura's attention annoyed him but when he didn't have it he became moody and pouty. Watching Sasuke stumble around and slowly realize how much Sakura meant to him had been the highlight to Shisui's day.

"Yeah but I thought it would take forever. Like no matter how much Sakura-chan loves you, you're not smooth. Sorry Sasuke but you don't have game. How the hell did you get her to sleep with you?"

Shisui watched as Sasuke's face burned red and almost guffawed at how nervous his cousin became. If he hadn't been watching Sasuke's face he wouldn't have seen his mouth move and figured out that he was trying to mumble something.

"I didn't quite catch that, Shrimp."

" _She_ seduced _me_ , okay!" Sasuke hissed. "I didn't take Haruno Sakura to bed, she took me! Happy?"

"Very," Shisui laughed. "You're still a dork so the world is still in it's proper order. But…"

"What?" Sasuke grumbled. If the conversation didn't end soon he would probably injure Shisui before Sakura could get his hands on him.

"I am still in complete and total shock. My image of Haruno Sakura just shattered. I thought you had tainted an innocent girl and you're telling me that _Sakura-chan_ is a temptress? I don't buy that. She's too cute and looks too innocent."

"And that's why _you_ suck when it comes to girls," Sasuke smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You only see what's on the surface and all you ever see is a pretty face. There's more to girls than what you see. All you could see was Sakura's cute face."

Shisui opened his mouth but then closed it. He was reminded of a night almost two years back when he escorted a drunk Sasuke home.

" _Pretty isn't all she is, moron. I wouldn't be struggling so much if she was only pretty."_

Shisui smiled at Sasuke and decided to drop the conversation. He would just have to be content with the fact that his baby cousin was happy.

 _This secret is going to kill me. Or get me killed._

"You just called Sakura-chan cute."

"Shut up. I _will_ electrocute you, Shisui."

* * *

Sakura and Ino had taken up taking care of some of the village children. Now that everything was settled down and medics weren't in as dire need as before, they had time to help out wherever they were needed.

"You're really good at making flower crowns nee-chan," a little girl praised Sakura after she placed one on her head.

"Of course she is," Ino beamed. " _I_ taught her."

Ino was busy braiding a different little girls hair. Behind Ino was Sai, busy braiding Ino's hair.

 _They get weirder every day_ , Sakura thought as she shook her head. It amazed her how different Ino's relationship with Sai was to her relationship with Sasuke. Although she loved spending time with him it wasn't necessary for them to be attached at the hip.

"I wonder how long the rebuilding is going to take," Sakura said conversationally to the adults as the kids ran off to play. She absentmindedly stroked Hisui's fur. The cat had taken to following her around the camp when she wasn't dozing away on Kizashi's head. Sai was still in the process of braiding Ino's hair since it was almost as long as she was tall.

"Kakashi-sama requested the help of Yamato-taichou so it's likely to help speed up the process," Sai responded. Kakashi was acting Hokage while Tsunade was recovering and Sai had already taken up to calling him by title. Tsunade was more than happy to dump all the paperwork and responsibility to him and Sakura had a feeling she was going to let him stay on as the new Rokudaime.

"Good. I would very much like some privacy again," Sakura huffed. She had an argument with her mother the other day about just bursting into her tent and then this morning it was one of Sasuke's relatives just bounding in. The only person it seemed that was respecting her personal space was Naruto and that was kind of concerning since he was usually the first one invading everyone's space.

"Yeah it would be nice to have Sai-kun's apartment back." Ino leaned back against Sai and gave him a flirty grin.

"You two make me sick." Ino stuck her tongue out at Sakura and snuggled more against Sai who upon seeing Ino stick her tongue out copied her.

"I swear you two─"

"Sakuraaaaa-chaaaan!"

Sakura was cut off by Naruto who pounced on her and tackled her to the ground. He sat up quickly and pulled her up, dusting off her clothes, before she could yell at him.

"I need your help!"

"So you tackle me!?" Sakura glared at him and raised her fist threateningly. Naruto raised his hands in defense and started shouting out cries of surrender.

"Please? You're my only hope of communicating with Hinata-chan."

"You still haven't talked to her?" Ino placed her hands on her hips in frustration. All of these boys were beginning to annoy her with their incompetence. What was it that made it so hard for them act like good boyfriends? "The girl gets freaking _wrecked_ coming after you and you can't talk to her? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

"I would if her family would let me!" Naruto narrowed his eyes at his fellow blonde. "I tried to ask Sasuke for help but I couldn't find the bastard anywhere this morning."

"How is Sasuke-kun going to help?" Ino burst out into a fit of giggles. It wasn't until recently that the boy made any progress with his own relationship. How did Naruto expect _him_ to be of any help?

"Princess and the mumbler are both from noble clans with similar traditions," Sai replied logically. "Perhaps he could be of some assistance with information on courting rituals."

"Actually, I think Itachi-nii-san might be better help," Sakura supplied. She loved Sasuke dearly but she knew that it could only end badly if he was in charge of teaching Naruto anything. He wouldn't have the patience to deal with him. "He is a lot more traditional than Sasuke-kun."

"You would know," Ino said with a sly grin that made Sakura turn pink in the face.

"Hey! I don't need to hear that from you, Pig."

"Huh?" Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Naruto. Nothing at all." Sakura patted him on the back, glaring at Ino who was still giggling. She really needed to stop telling Ino everything.

"Here." Sai took out a book from his weapon's pouch and handed it to Naruto. "I think you need this more than I do."

" _Dating for Dummies_? Who are you calling a dummy!?"

* * *

Mikoto was busy preparing lunch for the Harunos when her husband walked into the kitchen. She ignored his presence because she had assumed he was passing by on his way out.

Mikoto had been helping around the Uchiha district with whatever her clan members needed after the attack but it had been four days now and she needed to see Mebuki. She was having trouble sleeping at night wondering how her friend was faring in the relief camp. She wanted to invite them to stay with her in the comfort of the main house since it hadn't sustained any damage besides a few fallen bookshelves and lost personal effects but she knew it wouldn't do to only extend the invitation to one family.

"Mikoto."

"Hm?" Mikoto was surprised to see Fugaku still standing in the kitchen. She looked at the clock on the wall and wondered if he was running late.

"When everything settles down..." Fugaku averted his gaze and gave a small cough. "We should invite Haruno Sakura over for dinner. She is a lovely young lady and─"

Fugaku was cut off when Mikoto gave him a loud smack of a kiss. He stared wide eyed at his wife who only returned to packing bento boxes of food as though she hadn't just initiated physical affection in the middle of their kitchen.

"I'm glad we're on the same page now." Mikoto beamed at him before exiting through the back door, calling out her farewell as she skipped away.

"What just happened?" Fugaku blinked owlishly into space.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: filler chapter is filler. The village will be back in order next chapter. And things will happen.**_

 _ **So no, Shisui isn't telling anyone anything yet lol but come on it's pretty obvious that he's probably going to let it slip to Itachi isn't it?**_

 _ **To guest reviewers: I don't know why they're not appearing on the reviews page but I did get the emails for them so I did get your reviews and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far!**_

 _ **To all reviewers: I don't think I've expressed my gratitude enough. You have all made this experience so positive and enjoyable for me. I was so nervous when I first started uploading but you have all been so kind and I thank you for it. You are all so amazing.**_

 _ **Next chapter is likely to come out within the next two days possibly on Tuesday.**_


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Naruto had let out another sigh. He stared up at the sky, his chin resting on the windowsill of his apartment muttering Hyuga Hinata's name. The more depressed he looked the more Sasuke wanted to push him out. As he made his way over to do so, Sakura caught him in the act and gave him a disappointed look that could rival his mother's in effectiveness.

Sasuke sighed and plopped himself down on Naruto's new couch, gifted from Itachi who was going to throw out any more furniture their mother insisted he use to furnish his home. He and Sakura were suppose to have gone on a picnic date after work and a morning full of training but the two of them ended up having to babysit Naruto after Sai and Ino gave up for the day.

Sasuke turned to face Sakura who was busy working on lunch in the kitchenette. There was something peaceful about watching her move around a kitchen at work. If he squinted just enough he could blur out Naruto's frog clock and other weird personal effects and pretend that it was their own little apartment. He was busy daydreaming until Naruto smacked him across the back of his head.

"What was that for, dobe?" Sasuke hissed. He reached to hit Naruto back but he missed when Naruto had leaped back and pointed a finger at him accusingly.

"No."

"No what?"

"No making googly eyes at your girlfriend while I'm miserable. Some friend you are." Sasuke's eye twitched as he watched Naruto head over to the kitchenette to bother Sakura.

"Eww, no! Who left you in charge of cooking?" Naruto complained. "Nothing in that is edible!"

"What are you talking about, idiot?" Sasuke had decided to join them to prevent any damage to the new apartment if Naruto annoyed Sakura enough for her to attack him. "Sakura's cooking is fine."

"Yeah, if you're a health nut," Naruto grumbled. "The only vegetable I recognize are the carrots. And is that tofu? Who am I, Sai!?"

"It wouldn't kill you to eat a little more healthily, Naruto." Sakura chose to ignore his grumblings and continued cooking lunch for her boys. She had been looking forward to her date with Sasuke but one look at Naruto had her giving Sasuke puppy dog eyes and begging to include him in their day.

She had been looking forward to the picnic because Sasuke had prepared it. It was one of those things that she was actually glad he was better than her at. She cooked fine considering it had once been a chore of hers to prepare dinner and she had to learn to cook to avoid the spicy dishes her father favored. It was just that she was usually always tired and never in the mood to cook. Years of favoring sleep over food had her skills rusty but she really didn't mind not cooking if Sasuke was feeding her. He had gotten so good at cooking that she almost believed him when he said it was his mother preparing all of her lunches and dinners. Sasuke had given himself away with his overuse of tomatoes.

Sakura found it cute that he continued his mother's little quirk of cutting her rabbit shaped apple slices for her bento boxes.

"We wouldn't have to make more food if it was just us that was eating, so be grateful," Sasuke scolded Naruto. Naruto made a mock whining sound at him and plopped himself on a chair at his small kitchen table haughtily. Naruto picked at one of the bento boxes that Sasuke and Sakura had brought with them and ate one of the sandwiches. He spat out the bite he took in a napkin and gagged.

"Why is that so sweet? Fruit!? In a sandwich? And what's this white stuff, whipcream?"

"That wasn't originally for you, you dolt."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the way Sasuke's ears turned red when Sakura bashfully took his sleeve in her hand and tugged on it. Any longer in their presence and he was going to vomit. He thought hanging out with Ino and Sai had been bad but somehow his best friends were worse. He had originally thought it would be amusing to watch Sasuke make an ass of himself trying to be lovey dovey with Sakura but it just made him feel even more depressed about not being able to see Hinata.

"You're a moron." Sasuke flicked Naruto on the forehead. Sakura had plated the extra food and the both of them were watching Naruto's face go through a series of different expressions.

"Your boyfriend is an asshole, Sakura-chan. He keeps calling me an idiot or a moron."

"Yeah, but I think he's onto something this time," Sakura dug into her meal, choosing to ignore their antics. It would make her life easier if she just let them bicker as long as everything remained vocal instead of physical.

"You're just siding with him because he's your boyfriend. Some friend you are."

"Or because she also knows that you're an idiot. Why haven't you sent any toad summons to Hyuga with any messages? You use to do it all of the time when you were away."

Naruto went completely still, his face blank as his brain just processed what Sasuke had said. Sasuke and Sakura just deadpanned as they watched everything click into place and realization spread across Naruto's face.

"Why didn't anyone say anything earlier!?"

"Because we had such high hopes that you would surprise us with a moment of brilliance. Oh, how you have disappointed us," Sasuke retorted sarcastically. Sakura kicked his shin under the table and laughed nervously. She and Sasuke had discussed it the other night when he walked her home after work. She had been under the impression that Naruto had already been sending her messages and was just missing her physical presence.

"You probably could have asked her teammates to pass on any messages. I'm sure they're still in communication with her." Sakura was sure that as her closest friends Kiba and Shino were more than willing to help her find a way to get in contact with Naruto if he had asked.

"Oh my gods, I _am_ a moron!" Naruto clutched his head in his hands and slammed it on the table.

"Been saying that for years," Sasuke muttered into his cup of green tea. Sakura shot him a disapproving look as she patted Naruto's arm sympathetically. Sasuke shrugged and continued eating his meal. Life was fine as long as it was only Naruto's that was filled with drama that he could easily avoid.

* * *

Itachi watched his older cousin with a mixture of amusement and concern. Shisui had been acting oddly the past two weeks and he was just waiting for the reason to make itself known.

"Are you okay, Shi-chan?" Izumi had invited him over for tea, excited to use the pretty porcelain set that the Haruno family had gifted them for their wedding. She thanked the gods it had survived the assault. It was also a good excuse to use the free cake coupons she was also gifted from Kizashi. He was slowly becoming one of her favorite people since he kept indulging her sweet tooth.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Shisui gave her an awkward smile. He stared at the white cake box, his gaze fixed on the cherry blossom logo of the Spring's Blossom bakery.

"Um, if you don't want cake I have cookies." Izumi offered and Itachi handed the plate over to Shisui. "Sakura-chan brought them over when she came to visit."

"I saw nothing!" Shisui shouted, tossing the cookies in the air. Itachi and Izumi exchanged looks of concern.

"Why are you so on edge, Shisui?" Itachi made himself busy cleaning up the scattered treats. He was a little disappointed because Sakura had made sakura cookies and he had thought that was charming and clever.

"I can't….I can't Itachi…" Shisui collapsed in on himself, laying his head down on the low table. "She's everywhere...haunting me…"

"Um, who's haunting you Shi-chan?" Izumi was thrown off. There was no way this was a reaction to a crush. The last time Shisui was interested in a girl he took to practically stalking her at the teahouse she worked at and called it "intel gathering."

"Haruno Sakura." Shisui lifted his head and stared into the void with wide eyes. Itachi choked on his tea and Izumi thumped him on his back.

Itachi gave Shisui a sympathetic look. He loved him dearly but if it came down to who he would side with if Shisui and Sasuke went head to head over Haruno Sakura, he would side with his younger brother. Partially out of favoritism and partially because Sakura and Sasuke had mutual feelings.

"I can't sleep. I can't eat." Shisui gripped his curly hair and pulled at it. "I keep thinking she's going to pop around any corner and snap me in half."

 _Okay that is not what I expected_. Itachi raised an eyebrow at his cousin. His original assumption was that perhaps Shisui had unrequited feelings for the pink haired medic-nin. Now that he paid closer attention, his cousin did seem to be on edge. Now he just needed to find out why Shisui would be so scared of the sweet girl.

"Why would Sakura-chan want to hurt you?" Izumi questioned pouring Shisui another cup of tea. She found it hard to believe that Sakura would want to hurt anyone. She was always so gentle.

"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone." Shisui placed his hands on the table top and stared down his cousins. Izumi and Itachi looked at each other and then back at him and nodded in understanding.

"We won't tell anyone," Izumi said and smiled reassuringly.

Shisui took a long gulp of tea and slammed the cup on the table. Izumi squeaked in protest at the ill treatment of her tea set.

"I caught Sasuke…"

"You caught Sasuke…?" Itachi furrowed his eyebrows in concern. If Sasuke was the first thing he mentioned that wasn't a good sign.

"I caught him...with Sakura-chan. In bed." Shisui took a deep breath in and in a rush said, "IcaughttheminbedtogetherandSasukewasn'tdressed."

"Um. I didn't quite catch that." Izumi blinked in confusion.

"I. Caught. Sasuke. Half-dressed. In. Sakura-chan's. Bed." Shisui took another calming gulp of tea. "They were together. Like _together_ -together. Well, I came after what I could only assume was them being together-together. And Sakura-chan threatened me with bodily harm if I told anyone."

Izumi turned to look at Itachi and he looked back at her. She shrugged and he let out at a sigh.

"That's not exactly news, Shisui." Itachi patted his forearm. Shisui stared at him bug eyed.

"We both kind of caught them on different occasions," Izumi explained, her cheeks flushing pink.

"What!?" Shisui shrieked. "How am I just finding out about that?"

"Well," Izumi cleared her throat and took a sideways glance at Itachi. He nodded and she continued, "I heard them going at it when I visited the main house to grab something for Itachi-kun. They were technically home alone until I showed up and as soon as I realized what was happening, I left."

"I heard Sasuke try to proposition her in her office in the hospital," Itachi supplied with a smirk on his face. "It was pretty amusing hearing them contemplate it. I wouldn't have known how far they had gotten in their relationship if it weren't for the fact that I decided to drop by for an unscheduled appointment."

Shisui gaped at the couple, unsure of what to say next. He was bewildered and a little hurt that the two of them had kept such a secret from him without a second thought. He had been struggling with keeping his secret from them and _he_ had the threat of being crushed by a tiny pink haired girl.

"And you're fine with your little brother running around and─"

"It's fine." Itachi took another sip of tea and a bite of a sakura cookie. Sakura really was a great baker. He felt Shisui narrowing his eyes at him and he cleared his throat. "It really is Shisui. Don't act so innocent, you've been sexually active for years now. It's not like he's a little kid anymore. As long as he's being safe we can't say anything. And it's Sakura-chan. I highly doubt their relationship isn't serious. I knew it was bound to happen eventually. So no, he isn't as you put it _running around_."

"Besides, Itachi-kun has been sneaking condoms into Sasuke-kun's night stand drawer ever since he caught them kissing back in December."

"What."

"They were all cozy on the engawa and didn't even notice that I had come back downstairs. It was kind of cute."

"It sounded cute the way you described it," Izumi giggled. "Still wish I saw it."

"I thought we were friends Itachi," Shisui sobbed. "Why didn't you tell me anything? You told Izumi!"

"I'm his wife!"

"You weren't back in December!"

"Oh please, Shi-chan." Izumi tossed her hair behind her hair and glared at him. "You know that I might as well have been. Recent events were just a formality."

"How am I the only one freaking out about this?" Shisui grumbled.

"Because you're a child." Izumi frowned at him. Shisui glared at her and was about to make a rude hand gesture at her but one cold look from Itachi had him holding back with a pout on his face. "What I want to know is who are you really freaking out about. Are you concerned that Sasuke-kun is growing up too fast or is it Sakura-chan that has you in a tizzy? She's not thirteen years old anymore, Shi-chan."

"Both," Itachi answers for him. "It's both, isn't it?"

Shisui narrowed his eyes at his cousin but then sighed, his shoulders slumping. Itachi was right. It unnerved him how tall Sasuke was getting. He remembered him when he was tiny and pouting whenever Shisui would steal his brother away. Before this past year Sasuke had been the shortest Uchiha male but was slowly becoming the tallest. Looking at Sakura was worse. He remembered consoling a crying little girl whenever Sasuke would spurn her affections and listening to Itachi cheer her up with words of advice. She was still tiny but gone was the baby fat from her face and she had grown gentle curves that he would never let Sasuke─for fear of death─find out that he appreciated greatly. He still recalled how Sasuke indiscriminately threw fireballs at his older brother and by association Shisui back when Sasuke was jealous of how close his older brother and Sakura were getting when they were younger.

There was so much change happening and he felt as though he were being left behind.

"Why can't he stay a shrimp forever?" Shisui whined, slumping his body over the low table rattling it's contents. Izumi huffed and pulled her tea set back on it's tray and away from him. She was never going to be able to have nice things with him around.

* * *

The longer Sasuke stared at her with his impassive face, the more Ino glared at him. She refused to stand down and was going to have her way whether he liked it or not. Sakura stood nervously in Ino's hold, worried about how upset Sasuke was getting. Sai...Sai just stood there smiling at the scene in front of him.

"Let go Yamanaka."

"Piss off Uchiha. She's mine for the evening." Ino tightened her embrace on Sakura. Sakura sighed and resigned herself to being fought over. She had promised Ino a girl's night. She just hadn't realized that Ino was going to cash in on that promise when Sasuke wanted to spend time with her as well.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Ino and then looked down at Sakura. She gave him a nervous smile and then shrugged. She clung onto Ino's arms, accepting the hug as her answer to the dilemma they were facing, and Ino squealed in victory. His mouth twisted in a frown. He hadn't expected Sakura to choose Ino over him. It was more frustrating than he cared to admit.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun. I did promise."

"Whatever." Sasuke averted his gaze and Sakura had to suppress the urge to smile at his pout. "She has to babysit the dobe tomorrow."

"Meh. I'll just dump him on Chouji and Shikamaru." Ino shrugged her shoulders and nuzzled her face against the top of Sakura's head. Sasuke felt his eye twitch. First Naruto was too comfortable hugging Sakura all of the time and now Ino was being overly affectionate. "Wait. Where is Naruto now? I haven't seen him since he came into the shop for a sunflower."

"I left him in his apartment writing a letter," Sasuke answered. "It got nauseating when he started talking as he wrote. I escaped when he got to the paragraph in which he described Hyuga's glossy black hair and pearly eyes."

"Awww," Ino gushed. "I didn't realize Naruto could be sweet."

"It wasn't sweet, it was gross."

"Ugh. You're so unromantic." Ino rolled her eyes. "What do you even see in him, Forehead?"

"He has his moments," Sakura teased. "Can you check on him? The last thing we need is him barging into the Hyuga compound trying to get to her. We still need to figure out what exactly their problem is."

"Maybe because he's a dobe?" Sakura glared at him and he sighed. "Fine." Sasuke tapped Sakura's forehead. It was a gesture he was starting to use in public when he wanted to show her affection when he left her. "I'll see you later."

"Did you just─?" Ino pulled Sakura away from him in a possessive manner and stared at him incredulously. "That's _my_ thing. _I_ poke her forehead."

"Well now it's _my_ thing." Sasuke smirked at her and then turned to leave.

"I poked her forehead first, Uchiha!" He heard Ino call out as he walked out of the flower shop and into the street.

Sasuke wasn't as averse to the idea of spending even more time with Naruto as he let on. In fact, he was more willing to spend time with Naruto after their talk about what had happened during the invasion. Sasuke had always known that Naruto was lonely growing up but because of his sunny disposition he hadn't realized how sad it had made him. He knew of his anger and frustration that caused him to act up when he was younger but not of the lingering sadness inside him.

* * *

" _I'm not trying to blame your family, Sasuke." Naruto was wary after he had explained to Sasuke what had happened in his mind. He had explained how it felt when Uchiha Fugaku appeared and how it seemed like he was trying to help him contain the kyūbi. He had discussed theories as to what had happened almost eighteen years ago during the Nine-Tails attack on the village._

" _It sure sounds like it." Sasuke was seething. He hadn't noticed when he was younger but there was always a weird disconnect between his clan and the village. It was easy to not notice when he and other members of his clan gained popularity in the Academy due to their looks and higher skill level. But there was always a weird feeling that he got when adults looked at him, especially when he walked around in his police force uniform._

" _I'm not though. I just thought that maybe that's why…" Naruto trailed off. Sasuke looked over at his friend and his eyes widened in shock. Naruto had tears welling up in his eyes._

" _What, Naruto?"_

" _Do you think that if maybe the sharingan wasn't thought to control the kyūbi that I wouldn't have been as alone as I was when we were kids?" Naruto's voice was steady but the tears started to trail down his cheeks. "The whole village hated me but do you think maybe Mikoto-kaa would have taken me in after my parents died? She_ was _my mom's best friend. Do you think maybe we would have grown up as brothers like you and Itachi? It would have been nice to have a brother."_

 _Sasuke looked down at his friend and watched as the tears flowed. It might have been everything that he had pent up that had decided to leak out now with the death of Jiraiya._

" _You_ are _my brother, moron."_

 _Naruto gave a watery chuckle and nodded in agreement._

" _Yeah. I am, aren't I?"_

* * *

Sasuke stopped mid step in the middle of the street. He huffed in annoyance and turned to face the person following him. Sai was being his creepy chakra hiding self and just stalking him through the village.

"What?"

"Are we not off to see Dickless?" Sai tilted his head in confusion. "You are suppose to support your friends in their time of need, correct?"

Sasuke stared at Sai with one of his impassive looks for a moment. A beat, later he turned and continued to trek his way to Naruto's apartment. When he didn't hear Sai's footsteps he turned back around and saw Sai standing there with a blank look on his face.

"Well aren't you coming?" Sasuke called out to him and Sai gave him one of his more natural looking smiles.

 _Not so lonely now are you, dobe? You've got lots of friends. Lots of people that care about you._

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: And here goes chapter seventeen**_

 _ **Not going to lie I cried trying to imagine Naruto crying in my head but I couldn't picture him at seventeen years old. I kept picturing baby Naruto from episode 480. And that set me off lol**_

 _ **Next chapter will be more about the parents. Need to bring the Harunos into this more don't I? I keep focusing so much on the Uchihas lol**_

 _ **And hopefully a resolution to the Naruto-Hinata thing next chapter as well. Not gonna lie, I like picturing Naruto having to be babysat by his friends to make sure he doesn't go on a rampage and cause more problems and also to try to make sure he doesn't get too depressed.**_

 _ **Alright, next chapter will be out in a few days. I can't say exactly when but hopefully soon.**_

 _ **I feel like y'all may think I have no life since I update so quickly lol**_

 _ **You would be right though lol I write a lot when I'm at work in between calls and other office work that's thrust upon me. That and I'm sickly so I spend most of my free time in bed so I have to find some way to entertain myself.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_


	18. Chapter Eighteen

_**Author's Note:**_ _**Ugh, I hate doing this again─notes at the top don't always look attractive and I know mine don't─but I have to do this because FanFiction did this weird thing when I updated Chapter Seventeen and it didn't update but it did? I updated May 02, 2017 but it doesn't appear that it updated on that date and I didn't get an email to confirm that my chapter had been uploaded in the first place; I had gotten an error message but it still showed up in my story anyway. Some readers may have read Chapter Seventeen before reading Chapter Sixteen (which was updated April 30, 2017) or completely missed it altogether. I just want to give a heads up that if you're reading this chapter you may have missed the one before it because FanFiction did not send a notification out for that chapter. I would hate for you guys to miss anything so if you haven't read Chapter Seventeen or even Sixteen, please go do so before you read this chapter.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

Sakura loved her father dearly. He taught her to bake and was her biggest cheerleader growing up. Where her mother was strict in a loving fashion, her father was a lot more laid back. Her mother would argue that he was too laid back sometimes considering his penchant for making bad jokes. She loved him dearly but sometimes he was just plain odd.

"Papa. Do you really have to do that with the cat?"

Kizashi looked up from his newspaper careful not to jostle Hisui who was curled up on top of his head. He gave Hisui a scratch on her head and raised an eyebrow at Sakura in confusion. Sakura frowned at her father and pointed to the top of his head.

"Hii-chan likes the height."

"That isn't good for your neck considering how much she weighs."

"Sakura-chan! You _never_ discuss a lady's weight. Besides, Hii-chan is just fluffy."

Sakura sighed and shook her head. Ever since she brought the cat home, her father had bonded with her and they did everything together if Sakura was unavailable to give Hisui the attention she wanted. He sometimes could be spotted walking around the village with Hisui on his head on their way to and back from the bakery.

"How come you're still home?" Sakura checked the cat shaped clock on the wall for the time. Another item her father had picked out because it amused Hisui to watch the swinging tail. "Is it a No Bake day?"

On Sundays Kizashi would sometimes stay home and not go in for the early baking shift. It was the day of the week they used to try and sell whatever products they had on the shelf. Because he was so use to waking up early because of baker's hours, he was always up early on Sundays anyway. The only person in the Haruno household that wasn't an early riser was Mebuki. Sundays were her rest days from her job as a seamstress and from helping sell the baked goods at her husband's shop. She wouldn't wake up until it was time to prepare lunch and would use the afternoon to go to the market to stock up on what her family needed for the week.

Sakura's parents lived a peaceful civilian life. Mebuki had retired as a genin when Sakura was born and Kizashi had stopped taking his occasional escort missions some time before Sakura had turned fifteen. He was a smart man and could have probably been promoted if he had the drive but he was content with baking and selling his cakes in his family's bakery. His brains were put to good use coming up with delicious new recipes and creating more of the cute popular treats his shop was known for.

"Busy day ahead?"

"I have an appointment with the Hokage this morning and then I will be in the hospital all day." Sakura hoped that because he was Hokage now that Kakashi wouldn't be late to their meeting. Shizune was doing a great job of keeping him in line so far. She let it slip to Sakura that she was hiding Kakashi's novels from him and wouldn't return them until he finished work. For now Kakashi was still trying to figure out how it was that she kept stealing them from him. He would sometimes find them and then they would disappear from his possession again.

"And then dinner with the Uchihas at six-thirty, correct?"

"What?" Sakura paused in pouring herself a glass of orange juice and tilted her head, puzzled at her father's question.

"Fugaku-san had dropped by last night to extend an invitation to you for dinner but you were out with your friends. Nice man. It wouldn't kill him to crack a smile though."

 _Oh gods, please tell me he didn't try to make Uchiha Fugaku laugh_ , Sakura groaned inwardly.

"Wait. Papa. Did you tell him I would attend?"

"Of course!" Kizashi beamed at her. "It's not like you would pass up an opportunity to have dinner with Sasuke-kun."

"Please tell me you didn't tell him that." Sakura's eyes widened, horrified. She could just imagine her father telling Fugaku something that would absolutely mortify her. Right now the man was cordial with her and she didn't want anything to mess that up.

"Would that have been bad?"

"Yes!" Sakura was about to lecture her father about embarrassing her but a quick glance to the wall clock informed her that she needed to be on her way. "We will discuss this later. But for the love of everything sacred, Papa, please stop telling or hinting at people about my feelings for Uchiha Sasuke. It's not a cute anecdote, it's just embarrassing!"

Kizashi blinked owlishly and listened to the sounds of Sakura stomping through the house and then slamming the door shut.

"Why would that matter if Uchiha Sasuke is her boyfriend?" Kizashi shrugged his shoulders and went back to reading his paper. "You think I'm a good father, right Hii-chan? You still love me, right?"

Hisui meowed loudly and batted a paw at his nose gently.

"At least _someone_ in this house appreciates me."

* * *

Naruto had had enough. He had it. He was done with waiting around. Itachi was too busy to help him with how to court Hinata properly and how to speak to someone like Hyuga Hiashi. He was going to storm into the Hyuga compound and no one was going to stop him. Well, that was the plan but Shikamaru was a hard person to run away from.

"I wouldn't mind letting you make a fool of yourself but Ino would just nag me later if I let you do something stupid and embarrass Hinata." Shikamaru held him down with his Kagemane no Jutsu and sighed. This wasn't how he had wanted to spend his day. He wasn't exactly sure how Ino had roped him into Naruto duty.

"Listen, Shikamaru." Naruto narrowed his eyes at his friend and tried to calculate a way around him. He had already gotten rid of Chouji with coupons for free barbecue that had been gifted to him. He just needed to find a way to get away from Shikamaru who was being far more difficult than he ever was. "I didn't want to do this but I'm going to have to. If you don't let me go, I'll tell Ino."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Naruto's bluff. There was no way he had anything on him. There was absolutely nothing he could─

"I'll tell Ino about your envoy mission to Suna. I'll tell her that you _volunteered_ for it knowing it would give you three months with Temari. Bet that's a bit of gossip she would _love_ to hear."

"What? How do you even know about that mission?"

"Oh, please. Gaara and I have been pen pals for years. He tells me a lot of things. A lot of things he knows pertaining to a certain older sister of his."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Yeah. Yeah I would. So are you going to let me go or what?"

Shikamaru and Naruto stared each other down. Eventually Shikamaru was going to have to release Naruto. He couldn't stand around holding him forever.

"Fine. But I'm coming with you and as soon as you're about to say or do something stupid I'm pulling you out." _That way I'm still partially doing what Ino asked me_.

Gaining access to the Hyuga compound was a lot easier than Shikamaru thought it would be. He had been hoping that Naruto would be turned away and that he would be forced to give up right at the start but now they were being escorted to the Hyuga dojo and Shikamaru realized that he was going to have to take responsibility for Naruto making a scene in front of Hyuga Hiashi.

"Nara. Uzumaki." Hiashi did not appear to be shocked that Naruto was standing before him. He looked a little annoyed to be interrupted in his training session with Hanabi but it was hard to tell because of how blank his face and eyes were.

Naruto was oddly quiet and Shikamaru was confused. He had been so adamant about coming and yet he wasn't saying anything. Then, almost instantly Naruto threw himself on the floor and prostrated himself in front of Hiashi.

"Please give me your daughter!"

 _What the hell is this dumbass doing!?_ The damage had already been done and Shikamaru couldn't do anything to take back what Naruto had said.

"I mean Hinata-chan," Naruto clarified, raising his head off the ground. "Not Hanabi-chan. No offense to her but I love Hinata-chan. And she's way too young for me. Where is Hinata-chan anyway?"

"Trust me, Naruto-nii, I am very glad that you are not referring to me," Hanabi giggled. This was one of the reasons she wished her father would buy her one of those video recording devices. She could have used this to either make her older sister happy or to tease her for months.

Hiashi just raised an eyebrow at Naruto and then sighed.

"You should probably ask Hinata if she's okay with that. It is her choice. And wait until you're of age as well." Hiashi went back to his earlier stance and motioned to Hanabi that they would be continuing with their spar.

"Wait. It's that easy? Then why have you been barring me from seeing Hinata-chan?"

"She was still _healing_. Hinata needed rest and she wasn't going to get that with you around now was she?" Hiashi spoke with an air of annoyance as if it had been obvious. "You weren't the only one told to stay away. Inuzuka Kiba was barred from seeing her as well. The two of you are the most boisterous boys I've ever met. Hinata is out with her team right now. She has been released from our custody now that she is fully recovered."

 _I was put in a troublesome situation because of_ that _?_ Shikamaru was about ready to collapse, completely drained just from the conversation they were having. _I'm taking a nap when we leave_.

"What!? Are you serious!? That's why I have been turned away every time I came to visit? That's complete and total─"

This time Shikamaru was able to clamp his hand over Naruto's mouth before he said anything that may anger Hiashi. Hiashi just gave Naruto's outburst an unimpressed look and sighed.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, sir. We are sorry for the intrusion." Shikamaru bowed and forced Naruto to do the same by pushing down on his head. He quickly exited the room, dragging Naruto with him.

"He's a nice boy, Otou-sama," Hanabi told her father when the boys had left. "And a strong shinobi. Evident from what Kō had said about the invasion last month. Nee-sama could do worse."

"Hm." Hiashi nodded and a small, almost unnoticeable smile formed on his face. If it was someone that his daughter would stand up and fight for and they would do the same in return, they had to be someone of great character.

* * *

Itachi did his best to keep himself composed and hide his amusement from his younger brother. When he had been called back to the main house to have dinner with his family he hadn't expected the situation to be what it was.

Izumi nudged him and he looked over to see her biting her lip and her eyes gleaming with joy. She was obviously enjoying watching Sasuke squirm as well.

 _I wonder how dedicated they are to keeping their relationship secret? They've been pretty good considering Okaa-san and Otou-san don't know but this is getting ridiculous._

Itachi watched as Sasuke flinched when Sakura's arm brushed against him when she reached for her bowl of rice. His brother was too aware of Sakura's presence. Luckily for Sasuke, it didn't seem as though he was giving his relationship away. But there was a look of disappointment in Fugaku's eyes and Itachi wasn't entirely too sure how to interpret that yet.

"So how are things at the hospital?" Mikoto asked cheerfully as she scooped a second helping of rice for Sakura. She always thought she was too skinny and worried that she wasn't taking proper care of herself as she took care of everyone else.

"Busy as always. It's a lot bigger now after the rebuilding," Sakura replied with a nervous smile at the food Mikoto kept piling in her direction. There was no way she was going to actually be able to eat it all. "Tsunade-sama says it was a good decision considering we have patients that travel here from other countries to see her."

"And to see you as well," Itachi reminded her. "I hear you may head the hospital soon. Tsunade-sama seems ready to retire from the hospital now as well."

"Oh, I'm not ready for that yet." Sakura waved her hand in protest. Her cheeks burned pink in embarrassment. During the whole meal the Uchiha family kept her the focus of conversation and kept asking her questions. "In fact, I still need more experience in a leadership role. Which is why Tsunade-sama recommended to Kaka-sensei that I go to Suna to train their medic-nin and hospital staff while I continue my poisons research. They have rare herbs and plants that don't grow anywhere else. I will take part of the team of ambassadors from Konoha that will be staying there for three months."

Sasuke had started choking on air when they heard the news. Izumi muttered a soft "oh dear" and Itachi grimaced at his brother's reaction. It was quite obvious that this was his first time hearing about Sakura's long term mission.

Fugaku winced at his son's awkwardness. Mikoto was enjoying herself happily chatting with Sakura, something unusual during dinner time. Most dinners were spent in relative silence. Mikoto would sometimes carry light conversation with her sons who were both quiet characters but this had been the most lively meal yet with his wife being unable to contain her excitement at having Sakura there during an Uchiha dinner.

 _She's getting ahead of herself again_ , Fugaku sighed. _The boy is too much of a mess to do anything and she's going to just end up disappointed._

"While you're gone," Fugaku spoke up. He had been silent for most of the meal just listening and nodding at the appropriate times. "Who will be checking up on Itachi and Sasuke's eyes?"

"Tsunade-sama will. I am leaving my notes with her and she will keep them safe."

Itachi hid his grimace behind his glass of water. Tsunade was one of the most talented healers if not _the_ most talented, but she didn't have Sakura's bedside manners. Check ups for his eyes with her was a horrifying experience. Sakura lectured out of care and although he was sure Tsunade cared in her own way she had a way of making everything seem like she was heavily judging him whenever he came back with more damage to his eyes. It was unnerving being treated like a child by the woman.

"Do you really have to go away for three months?" Mikoto grumbled. Itachi had to hold back from laughing. Although his features were sharper now and thus more masculine, Sasuke still looked like their mother and it was easy to pretend that the face Mikoto was making was the same one Sasuke would if he were more expressive.

"We're going to miss you greatly," Izumi chirped. "Bring us back some souvenirs, okay?"

"I know you're joking but expect to be brought back some plants. We're going to continue our lessons when I come back," Sakura laughed. Although Izumi didn't have the control needed for medical-ninjutsu, she was still a smart girl so Sakura was taking the time to teach her about medicinal plants and poisons and antidotes.

"Well don't work yourself too hard. Maybe you'll find yourself a boyfriend while you're in Suna." Izumi said the magic words that caused three members of the family to freeze up in their seats. She had only meant to tease the teenagers but succeeded in throwing off her in-laws. Itachi raised his eyebrow at the stiff form of his father.

 _Aha. So Okaa-san's not alone in her scheming._

"Boyfriend? Sakura-chan won't have time for that," Mikoto laughed nervously. "She'll be too busy, just like she is here. Anyone want some more tea?"

"Mikoto-san is right Izumi-nee-chan." Sakura let out a nervous giggle. "I'm focusing on my career right now."

"I can't say that that isn't impressive," Fugaku replied. "It's refreshing to find career oriented youth."

"Fugaku," Mikoto hissed out. He looked over at his wife who kept motioning with her eyes to their youngest son and Sakura. _That's not what we're suppose to be encouraging, husband!_

"It's getting late," Sasuke finally spoke up. He hadn't said a word throughout the meal. He had just widened his eyes in shock when he saw Sakura who in turn became surprised when she realized the invitation to dinner was only for her and had not been extended to Naruto. "Sakura has an early shift at the hospital tomorrow morning."

There was something unsettling about how soft his voice was. Itachi frowned, sensing a storm brewing underneath the calm pretense. Izumi seemed to have felt it to since she started wringing her hands in her lap.

"That's right. I really should be going." Sakura bowed slightly in her seat. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

"Let's go. I'll walk you home."

The adults sat in silence, listening to the pair of footsteps as they exited the house. As soon as the front screen had been slid shut Mikoto smacked her husband's arm.

"What was that, Fugaku? I want a wife for Sasuke, not a primary care doctor!" Mikoto huffed out a strong breath of air and started to clear the table.

"So you like Sakura-chan?" Itachi asked his father. He always knew how his mother favored the young woman but it was news to him that his father approved of her.

"She is an exceptional young lady. A good match for your younger brother," Fugaku answered politically. "Besides. It's unlikely that Sasuke is ever going to look at or accept another girl. Your brother is a lot more obvious about his feelings for the girl than he thinks he is. It's unfortunate that he has the inability to further his relationship with Sakura-san."

Izumi was shaking from holding back her laughter. She excused herself to assist her mother-in-law with the dishes.

 _This family is going to kill me. I can't wait to see Fugaku's face when he finds out how much "progress" his son has actually made._

* * *

Sakura twisted her lips, not sure what to say. She snuck another glance at Sasuke who was staring impassively at the road ahead of them. She had tried to get his attention by calling out his name but he just kept walking without turning to her. Fed up with this silent treatment of his, she stomped on the ground sending a surge of chakra in his direction, causing the ground to shake under his feet.

"Really?" Sasuke scowled at her. Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest and stood with her legs shoulder width apart in a stubborn stance.

"Yes, really. You're treating me coldly Sasuke-kun." Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. He was acting childish.

"What do you expect? When were you going to tell me that you were going away for three months?"

"When I had the opportunity! I just found out today and I haven't been able to talk to you until now. I was at the hospital all day and then I had to attend dinner with your family. I was hoping to tell you after but apparently that wasn't meant to be."

Sasuke completely turned his body toward her and matched her stance. He looked down at her from his full height but Sakura wasn't intimidated. She was smaller than most people so size wasn't something that made her nervous.

"Right," he huffed. He ran a hand through his hair, fluffing up his already unruly locks. It seemed he just wasn't meant to have short hair since it was always a spiky mess in the back.

"Can we not fight about this? I leave in two weeks. I just want to make the most of our time before I have to depart." Sakura sighed and walked toward Sasuke. She rested her head on his arm and let out another sigh. It had been a long day and there was something comforting about the woodsmoke and cinnamon smell he carried. His whole family had that woodsmoke scent but they all had a unique undertone of their own. Mikoto's was of lilies and Itachi's was the smell of fresh sage and Izumi of oranges. Fugaku had a sort of minty and musky scent that she couldn't completely describe. All of their scents were oddly relaxing when combined and she had to keep herself from falling asleep at the dinner table.

"It just feels like you were keeping a secret from me." Sakura snorted which earned her a growl from Sasuke.

"Like I can keep a secret from you. I'm a horrible liar remember?"

"You should have told me first." Sakura raised her head and narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't comment on how childish his statement had sounded since it was obvious that he was trying not to pout.

"If it helps, I haven't told my parents yet. So you know before them." Sakura groaned and smacked her forehead. "Telling them is going to be a pain."

"How come?" Sasuke nudged her forward and they continued walking down the road.

"It's one thing when I'm gone on a mission for a week or two. I'm leaving for _three months_. My parents are civilians. They've never been promoted to chunin so they've never had such long missions so I have no idea how they're going to take this. Mama didn't even want me to take the chunin exams after what had happened at our first one."

"Do your parents not want you to be a shinobi?" Sasuke asked. There were plenty civilian members of his clan but in the main family everyone had been a shinobi with the exception of some of the wives that married in. "You're a very skilled kunoichi. They should be proud of you. It would have been something to be praised for in my family."

"Yes, but I don't come from an actual clan, Sasuke-kun. We're just a small civilian family." Sakura was always aware of the differences between Sasuke's family and hers but had conveniently placed it out of her mind after the two had started dating.

"What would your mother want you to do instead?"

"I don't know. Just be a normal doctor? Retire from active duty and just be a healer I guess."

There was more that Haruno Mebuki wanted for her daughter but Sakura wasn't going to bring that up to Sasuke. Mebuki had been hinting to Sakura over the past year that she wanted her to start to work toward settling down, find someone that would make a good husband in the future. Sakura had already found the person she wanted but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Sasuke's family seemed to like her as a person but she was still unsure of what they would think about a romantic relationship between her and him. The Uchiha were a noble clan of Konoha and she came from an average civilian family.

But most importantly, Sakura wasn't completely sure where she and Sasuke stood. He obviously liked her and was attracted to her and enjoyed her company. Why else would he bother with her? Sakura didn't argue when Sasuke wanted their relationship kept secret because she had originally believed that it would keep their relationship safe from outside forces. Now she was just concerned that it was kept a secret from their families so that it would be a cleaner break when Sasuke called it off.

Sakura hated feeling insecure. She wasn't suppose to be that girl anymore. She was content with her relationship with Sasuke. She tried to convince herself that she was fine with the way things were but she wasn't. Not really. Sakura wanted Sasuke's happiness and would try her hardest to give it to him even if it meant stepping aside and only being his friend but there was a small corner of her heart that craved more.

Sakura wanted Sasuke to love her the way she loved him: with all of her heart.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _**Chapter 18~ warning: really long note ahead**_

 _ **I have a slight problem. I wanted this to be all fluff but I have a tendency to make my characters sad and angsty (my original works are dripping with angst, it's horrible lol) so stuff like that keeps popping up…**_

 _ **Distance (or is it absence?) makes the heart grow fonder though right?**_

 _ **Remember when I could be somewhat funny? Good times, good times.**_

 _ **If anyone is curious as to why I haven't uploaded the second fic that I said I would...it's because I'm pretty hesitant on that. It will be a Real Life AU and still SasuSaku but it's a lot more**_ **adult** _ **. It's really adult (think more angsty, more smutty, and yeah─will have fluff moments but it won't be the focus) and I don't know if this is the right platform and a lot of you really like the fluff and how light this fic is and I feel like you would be disappointed at how much heavier the content would be. Also this is my first time in about five years writing outside of the first person POV so I'm rusty and I feel like it's awkwardly worded and I want to do the other in first person but at the same time it weirds me out when fanfic is in first person. So still working on trying to flesh out that fic.**_

 _ **If anyone is curious as to how many more chapters in this story: not sure lol I write pretty short chapters and update quickly so I don't know the exact amount. All I can say is an event y'all have probably been waiting for will happen within...three chapters? Definitely not the next one but in about two more after that. I'm excited to read your responses to that. But this story can't end until I bring up Sarada. She MUST make an appearance.**_

 _ **If anyone is wondering why Hinata is only ever referred to but never actually makes an appearance in the chapters: I had**_ **never** _**intended to make Naruto's relationship with her as prominent in the story as it has been (hell, I never intended to write as much ItaIzu─in fact the ship almost didn't happen because I also ship ItaShi so I was going to make them all be in a relationship together, a happy poly family lol but ItaIzu won out in the end─as I have but man I love those Uchihas) but I thought it would make no sense for them to just end up married in the end. She will appear next chapter though.**_

 _ **I've just been a little hesitant to write anything about her because of bad experiences reading stuff online like on tumblr. Hinata stans kind of ruined NaruHina and Hinata for me. Like I would like to enjoy the ship and her because they're cute and I liked pre-Shippuden Hinata because she was my favorite genin design, she was adorable (I'm indifferent to her later outside of NaruHina), but there's just...way too many crazy people on Tumblr…**_

 _ **There will be no references to The Last by the way. Well. No. I'll probably keep the scarf thing just because that's something I do, make stuff for people I love.**_

 _ **So expect some cutesy NaruHina in the next chapter.**_

 _ **These long notes probably annoy you guys but I love them because I get to talk to you as a collective group :) I can't message much because there's such a temptation to give spoilers but I try. Also I feel safer here making comments than like on Tumblr. Remember what I said about crazy people? I want to avoid that stuff on the only social media platform I use.**_

 _ **Next chapter will come out this weekend. I will try not to update tomorrow because I almost updated this one like right after the last chapter, like immediately the next day, and I think that's just a bit overzealous.**_

 _ **This chapter has been updated on May 04, 2017 (May the 4th be with you lol) just in case there's a weird error again with the notifications and updating**_


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_**Author's Note:**_ _**Fanfiction did it again! When am I ever going to be able to do a proper update without getting that error message? If you haven't read Chapter 18 (and 17 if you missed that one too) please go do so now. It will make everything in this chapter less confusing. This update has been made on 05.06.2017.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen**

Death. Death was in Naruto's immediate future if he didn't stop making cooing sounds and removed himself from Sasuke's bed.

"I fed her some of my ramen and she turned red and she was so cute!" Naruto sighed happily and snuggled one of Sasuke's pillows.

 _I have to burn that now. I have to burn everything._

"Are you even listening to me Sasuke?" Naruto pouted and Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. They stared at each other momentarily until Sasuke went back to taking his whetstone to his katana. "Hey!"

"Moron, when have I ever expressed interest in your disgusting displays of affection? When have I ever actually cared about your relationship with Hyuga beyond knowing she's your girlfriend and she makes you happy? All that over sharing stuff? That's what Sakura's for."

"Yeah but she's not here, asshole." Naruto threw the pillow he was snuggling at Sasuke who's first instinct was to slice it with his blade. Good thing he was going to get rid of it anyway. "I swear you're even more of an ass when she's not around."

Sakura had been gone for two months and a half already. Over two thirds of her long term mission completed. Everything went on as usual except they were missing their pink haired teammate. Naruto was blissfully happy now that his relationship was recognized by Hyuga Hiashi. Now he wouldn't stop bugging Sasuke about every detail about his relationship.

"God you're a mess. You know you look kind of like a ghost." Naruto lifted up Sasuke's bangs from his face and Sasuke shot him a glare. "Long hair looks cool on Itachi but you look like some sort of evil spirit."

Sasuke had stopped trimming his hair in it's usual style sometime around the rebuilding of Konoha. There was something childish about his spiky and unruly hair so he allowed it to grow out to see if he could get rid of the spikes without shaving his hair. He hadn't wanted the same look as Itachi with the long ponytail and part in the middle so he went for a side part similar to Sakura's long comb sweep bangs. Sasuke didn't want long hair like Itachi so he only grew out his hair until it no longer defied gravity in the back. His hair was skimming the base of his neck now, still sort of spiky and reminiscent to the way cat's flattened their ears, much to the amusement of Shisui who had curly hair and would never attempt to grow it out.

"How do you even wear your hitai-ate?"

"As an armband. Sometimes I let my bangs drape over it if I wear it across my forehead."

"Oooohhh…" Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and averted his gaze to the ground. Sasuke rolled his eyes and flicked Naruto's forehead.

"You don't have to watch over me, dobe. I'm fine."

Naruto had gone into the habit of checking in on Sasuke and taking him out to meals that he tried to get Sasuke to cover the bills for. Sai would sometimes tag along and make uncomfortable, subtle comments about Sasuke being backed up that left Sasuke wondering how oblivious his best friend was. Naruto seemed to be the only person in Team Kakashi that wasn't aware that his best friends were already sleeping with each other.

Sasuke found it irritating that Naruto would compare how he went through his separation from Hyuga Hinata to what he and Sakura were going through. Sasuke wasn't going around like some lovesick idiot and he definitely didn't need to be babied the way Naruto had. What did they expect would happen? That he would completely lose it from longing and turn missing-nin just so he could travel to Suna unauthorized and be reunited with Sakura?

As if.

Yes, Sasuke missed Sakura greatly but he didn't need to be coddled by his best friend, all he wanted was his privacy. If Naruto didn't leave him alone he couldn't read his letter from Sakura, sent by slug summon, in peace. It would be just his luck if he were to open it and Naruto would try to read it over his shoulder only to find out that it was one of Sakura's more teasing, racy pages. Jiraiya's novels had nothing on that girl when she was in the mood to torment her boyfriend. She would be giving him an update on her life in Suna and then sneak in an inappropriate line. He had to burn all of the letters before his mother had a chance to find them. Mikoto had been bugging him about wanting to hear about Sakura straight from the source but for everyone's safety that wasn't possible.

"I'm gonna go now. I can't waste my time with you when I have a girlfriend I should be taking out to dinner."

"I'm sure she's really looking forward to another wonderful evening at Ichiraku's," Sasuke bit out a sarcastic reply. He was sure that was a dig at him since he couldn't do anything about the distance between him and Sakura.

"I'll have you know that Ichiraku's is a _great_ date spot. Probably better than anything you could pull off."

"Naruto. You idiot. You've walked in on a picnic I made just for her. How is Ichiraku's more romantic than _that_?"

Naruto blinked at him and then opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Just go. I have things to do and you're preventing me from doing them."

"Asshole. Fine I'll go. Because unlike _some_ people I actually have a girlfriend to hang out with."

Naruto leapt out of Sasuke's open window to dodge the volley of shuriken being thrown at him.

* * *

There was something about the heat of Suna that was easier to bare than the heat of Konoha summers. Suna was hot but also dry with occasional breezes that could be either refreshing or hot gusts of air but it was still better than the dense humidity of Konoha in summer on days when the wind refused to blow.

Sakura had enjoyed her stay in Suna. She loved working in the greenhouses and exchanging knowledge of poisons and antidotes with Chiyo. She enjoyed teaching a lot more than she thought she would and also gained more confidence in herself that she could definitely run the much larger hospital in Konoha.

Although she was enjoying her time in Suna, Sakura couldn't help missing all of her friends and family in Konoha. She missed Ino's gossip and dragging her around to make sure she had a social life. She was starting to miss her father's jokes and her mother's lectures on keeping her room clean─a task that she was failing at in Suna. She could keep every other room spotless but never her bedroom.

Sakura missed Naruto and his sunshine and she missed the warmth of the Uchiha family. She missed, probably most of all, Sasuke. Her beloved Sasuke.

Her many duties in Suna's hospital and as a representative of Konoha kept her busy enough to keep her mind away from thinking too much of everything and everyone she was missing. If she wasn't busy because of work she was being dragged around by Temari who took on the same role as Ino and made sure that all she did wasn't work.

"I wonder how long until Sasuke-kun's reply this time," Sakura wondered aloud as she organized her letters from home. She giggled to herself when she remembered his response to her teasing in her last letter to him. He kept pleading with her to stop but it amused her too greatly to picture his flustered face when he came across any of her more licentious sentences. She would place in between more normal sentences were they had no business being and hoped they threw him off.

Sasuke's letters were a lot shorter than hers. Even his mother wrote longer letters to her, always asking about her social life and how she was doing. Sasuke wrote short letters but even though they would have seemed dull and ordinary to anyone else, she felt so cared for.

Sasuke would ask if she was eating proper meals and if she was watching her caffeine intake. Sasuke would ask more questions about her daily life than give full answers to her questions about his, claiming there was nothing interesting or new on his end and that she would return and find everything the way she left it. Sasuke would use any opportunity he could to write her name if he could get away with it. There was a purposeful, way too steady, _pristine_ way he wrote the characters for her name. There was so much care in the way he wrote her name that other words in his letters didn't have. His handwriting was slanted as if he was writing in a hurry but there seemed to always be a pause right before he reached her name because his writing would become even more neater and straighter.

There was only one word Sakura could really use to describe the feeling he put into the way he wrote her name: love.

* * *

When Sasuke missed Sakura the most he always went to one place in particular: her old hideout. The entrance was way too small for an adult body and he had to sit when he was inside but it was worth it to seclude himself in a place surrounded by her.

Before she had left, Sakura had brought him there on one of their hikes in the woods. It was dusty and covered in cobwebs but was quickly cleaned up and put in order. The hideout was created by the odd way the roots at the base of the giant tree they belonged to made a dome shape off of the ledge the tree was growing on top of. Over many years the roots became covered with moss and other fauna.

* * *

" _I use to come here all of the time when I was little," Sakura said fondly as she tapped a paper star that was part of a garland draped from the ceiling of the hideout._

" _It's cramped in here," Sasuke grunted causing Sakura to laugh._

" _Of course it is. We're two people and much bigger than a seven year old."_

" _Did you make all of this?" Sasuke gestured to the many paper garlands and the quilt that graced the forest floor._

" _Yep! I use to steal the swatches of fabric from my mother and patch them together. I picked flowers for all of those glass bottles and brought all of those stuffed animals, sneaking them out of my room when my parents weren't looking. They must smell musty now."_

 _Sakura pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her head on top of her knees and closed her eyes, a small, sad smile on her face._

" _I didn't have any friends when I was little, not until Ino and then not until Team Seven. I use to hide here from all of the bullies that picked on me about my forehead."_

 _Sasuke couldn't help the small pool of guilt welling in his stomach. None of the boys got involved in the girls' affairs. It was the same feeling he got when he remembered the way Naruto would sit alone on the swing outside of the Academy while everyone else played together. As the only Uchiha in his class, he was all on his own as well, seen as untouchable by the other kids. It wasn't until later when he started ranking high in class that he started to get attention from girls but it was unwanted and not the kind of friendship he wanted. So he kept to himself, only caring about his older brother._

 _To think the three of them were all alone at the start. They should have met a lot sooner._

" _I saw you come here once."_

" _What? Really?" Sakura opened her eyes in surprise._

" _I was training alone in the forest because my brother was busy and I saw a girl with pink hair running around. I couldn't really see where you had disappeared to but I did see you around here in the forest."_

" _Bet you didn't even know who I was."_

" _Of course I knew who you were," Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You were the only pink haired kid. Kind of stupid not to know the name of the only kid in the village with pink hair."_

" _Uh-huh. It would be pretty dumb."_

" _And you were partially bullied because of the boys. It was kind of their fault."_

" _Huh? Why would it be their fault?_ They _never talked to me."_

" _I heard them talking about your hair." Sasuke reached over and tucked a strand of it behind her ear. "They were calling it pretty and cute. So of course the other girls got jealous. Except for Yamanaka. Thank the gods for Yamanaka."_

 _Sakura giggled and Sasuke smiled softly, glad that her mood had picked up. He pulled her into his lap and gave her a slow open mouthed kiss, stroking her back with one hand and holding onto her hip with the other. Sakura leaned into his touch and sighed._

" _What was that for?" She asked as he nipped at her jaw._

" _Creating a happier memory of this place."_

 _Sakura giggled once more and peppered his face with kisses._

* * *

Sasuke slowly made his way through town, wanting to walk past Haruno Kizashi's bakery. The smell of sweets reminded him of Sakura and he was feeling nostalgic.

Sasuke was turning the corner when he saw his father exiting the building empty handed. The sight was a strange one but he didn't want to make a big deal about it. He strongly hoped he was wrong but he had a suspicion that his father might have been running an errand for his mother and had placed a cake order in advance. Sasuke was turning eighteen in two weeks and he hated sweets but his mother always got a cake for his birthday.

 _Maybe Kizashi knows some recipes for unsweetened cake._

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _**I had actually wanted this update out last night but I wasn't feeling well and had crashed in the middle of writing.**_

 _ **Can anyone tell how salty I still am about episode 481? "Who are you?" Bitch, she's the only pink haired kid in school how does one not know who the hell Haruno Sakura is? And I was hoping for a made up background story as to why Sakura started crushing on him in the first place since for some reason in the manga it was such a surprise to her that Sasuke was popular and that other girls liked him.**_

 _ **The small NaruHina bit I wanted to put didn't work here. Maybe the next chapter? But speaking of NaruHina and Hinata...I don't wanna rant but I'm gonna: I know that a certain review wasn't directed at me specifically but when in this story was Hinata important to the SasuSaku parts? I had her hanging out with Ino and Sakura for like two seconds with the implication that she was only there because of Naruto. Even when Naruto and Hinata were split apart because of my writing I didn't even put much importance to her but to Naruto and how his friends reacted to**_ **him** _**and**_ **his** _**feelings/behavior. Because Sasuke and Sakura are his best friends so of course they're going to be around him and give him support. They never talked to Hinata or asked her about her feelings about the matter because they are Naruto's friends and just friendly acquaintances of hers.I wanted to highlight their friendship. Not trying to shit on Hinata but I**_ **know** _**she didn't really hang out with the others. That's kind of why this story centers around Team Kakashi, Ino, the Harunos, and the Uchihas.**_

 _ **And also, so what if a fanfic author changes that and has her hang out with them? It is fanfic for a reason.**_

 _ **A guest reviewer asked about Team Hebi/Taka and no, they will not appear in this fic. They're kind of irrelevant in a non-massacre story to be honest. Maybe if I made this story more complex and focused on the cursed seal mark that I haven't discussed in forever (and it kind of disappeared from the story) and made them villains? But they will appear in my Real Life AU.**_

 _ **Speaking of my Real Life AU: the first chapter will be uploaded either tonight or tomorrow morning depending on when I can actually think of a title and a summary.**_

 _ **As a warning, it is a drama and will contain some smut scenes so if you don't like that stuff don't read it. Also don't be thrown off of it by the mention of high school. It's not in anyway a High School AU. That's just because of the age the character's start at. I didn't write in the first person btw so I hope you guys like that.**_

 _ **Also just because Team Hebi/Taka is in it, it doesn't mean that there will be a love triangle. There will be no SasuKarin, not even one sided. Karin will be a snarky friend though so please don't also be thrown off by her inclusion.**_

 _ **Next chapter should be up in a couple of days, I hope FanFic doesn't eat the notification...**_


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

Sasuke sighed and tucked the letter he just received from Sakura into the pocket of his flak vest. He usually didn't make a big deal about his birthday but it was still frustrating that Sakura wouldn't be coming home in time to celebrate. She wouldn't be finishing her term in Suna until a week after, leaving him to fend off Naruto's attempts to throw him a party.

Sasuke shuffled down the stairs to his kitchen, already in a bad mood before his day even started.

"Stop being so gloomy," Mikoto huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "You turn eighteen in two days, of course your friend wants to make a big deal about it."

It was no secret that Sasuke wasn't looking forward to his birthday. He preferred quiet family dinners to celebrate but with Naruto it was unlikely that the event would be quiet at all.

"By law I'm technically not an adult until I turn twenty, so I don't see what the big deal is," Sasuke grumbled. He didn't like parties and it was usually Sakura's job to dissuade Naruto and his attempts to drag him to any. If Sasuke couldn't get out of it, Sakura would stay by his side the entire night to help with his anxiety of large groups. It would be worse this time around since he would be the center of attention. He had no idea how he would get by without Sakura's company. "Nothing happens when you turn eighteen."

 _You become legal for marriage_ , Mikoto thought gloomily. She just knew her husband wouldn't be able to fend off the elders soon. They were already upset that they hadn't been able to marry the eldest son to the woman of their choice. She was sure they would come after Sasuke soon.

Fugaku had tried to reassure her that Sasuke did indeed have feelings for Haruno Sakura, only that he seemed to have _trouble_ with conveying his feelings. Mikoto would have been fine with waiting for Sasuke to do something about it himself but she didn't have the luxury of time and it didn't help that Sakura was in a different country entirely. Mikoto worried everyday that a Sand ninja would fall in love with Sakura at first sight and start to woo her while she was on her delegate mission. As far as Mikoto knew, Sakura wasn't talking about her love life in her letters because she didn't think it was appropriate to discuss it with her friend's mother.

Mikoto was worried that Sakura would come back home next week with more than just plants and gifts.

"Ah, crap."

" _Language_ , young man." Mikoto reprimanded Sasuke. Sasuke gave his mother a blank look but Mikoto continued frowning at him so he sighed and apologized.

"I forgot that Otou-san needs me to bring him some folders he left in his office," Sasuke explained. He turned back up the stairs leaving Mikoto to wallow in her depressing thoughts alone in the kitchen.

 _And they would have made such a good pair too._

Mikoto had first wanted Sakura as a daughter-in-law for selfish reasons. Sakura was a pretty child that she wanted for her own to adore and pamper. Sakura was sweet and kind and so very bright that she couldn't help but pair her off with her son in her mind. Watching them grow alongside each other, Mikoto was sure that Sakura was someone that could care for and love her son wholeheartedly and her son would care for her in return, unlike a bride chosen by the elders who would offer her son nothing but a list of qualifications. Sasuke couldn't raise children with a list of qualifications. He couldn't come home and have a meaningful conversation with a list of qualifications. Mikoto wanted her son to love and be loved in return and she was so certain that Sakura could be that person for him.

"But I guess we'll have to wait and see if it's meant to be," Mikoto sighed. She had already gotten lucky when Itachi married Izumi. It was possible she was asking for too much to get lucky twice with a marriage between Sasuke and Sakura.

Mikoto was about to get on with her day when her youngest son breezed by her, dashing out of the house without so much as a goodbye to his mother.

"I swear I taught him better manners than that," Mikoto grumbled, shaking her head. She would have to sit him down later for another talking to. "Now what's on the agenda today? Hmm...I think Fugaku needed his office to be cleaned and his scrolls to be organized. He's always in too much of a rush to put them back in their proper place and I'm sure Sasuke made a bigger mess searching for those reports. Alright! Time to work!"

 _Maybe keeping busy will help distract me from the Sasuke-Sakura problem._

* * *

"Aaahh~." Naruto opened his mouth wide so that Hinata could feed him a bite of noodles. Blushing furiously and with trembling hands, Hinata fed him. She still wasn't use to such public displays of affection but it made her happy. Her family was so reserved that it was unusual to catch glimpses of lovers being affectionate with each other in the compound. She loved that Naruto was so open and didn't shy away from expressions of love.

Naruto was enjoying an early lunch date with Hinata before she had to go on a mission with her team. Naruto had lucked out and Team Gai was off on a mission for three days so there was no worry about Neji breathing down his neck. He found it odd that someone thought he would do something improper with Hinata. She was a lady and he was going to treat her like one.

For now he was going to enjoy being spoiled by her. He opened his mouth again for another bite but it never came, Frowning he looked to Hinata who was looking out at the street.

"Wasn't that Sasuke-san?"

"Sasuke? What about him?" Naruto crossed his arms and his frown deepened. He wasn't too happy with Sasuke right now. He kept rejecting Naruto's ideas for his birthday party.

"Y-yes. He looked to be in a rush. You don't think he's in tr-trouble do you?" Hinata gave him a worried look. It always amazed Naruto how expressive she could be when the rest of her clan were always so blank in both eyes and face.

"Hmm. He's probably late for something. I'll ask him about it later."

"Are you sure? You could go check on him, I don't mind."

"Nah. It's my Hinata-chan time. Are you going to deny me my Hinata-chan time?" Naruto gave her a mock pout and her cheeks burned red.

"N-no."

"Good. Now say 'Ahh~'."

* * *

"Traitor!"

That was the first thing Fugaku heard as he entered his home. The first thing he saw was a shuriken as it lodged itself into the shoji door as he was sliding it closed. It had narrowly missed him and he was sure that it had been thrown more as a threat than an actual attempt at hitting him. It was unlikely that anyone in his family would have missed him if he was their intended target. Turning around, the next thing he saw was his usually calm and sweet wife standing in the foyer a black leather folder in her hands, face flushed red in anger.

"Explain yourself, husband!" Mikoto thrust the folder in his chest with enough force that Fugaku had to take a step back. "I thought we had agreed that Sasuke wouldn't be setup on any omiai!"

"Mikoto." Fugaku slowly reached into his bag and withdrew a red leather folder. "That's Sasuke's profile. For the Harunos."

Fugaku handed the red folder in his hand to Mikoto and she hesitantly took it. On the front was a white ring, the crest of the Haruno family. She traced the ring with her index finger in wonder, too shocked to say anything.

"And that's Sakura-san's for us. Haruno Kizashi is quite an eccentric man. He only needed to provide us with a recent photo but he ended up giving us one from every age. We should probably remove those and return them before we give the folder to Sasuke."

"I don't understand." Mikoto's voice was soft in her confusion. "When did you─How did you─okay, explain."

"If you haven't noticed, your son has been depressed ever since Haruno Sakura left to Suna." Fugaku took his wife's hand and led her to the kitchen so he could make her tea. She looked like she really needed a calming cup of chamomile tea. "It was starting to get frustrating watching him so I took matters into my own hands."

"So you asked the Harunos to arrange a marriage meeting?"

"I brought the idea up to Kizashi-san. He seemed more than happy when he agreed. Made a comment about us being awfully formal." Fugaku placed the kettle on the stove to boil water. "I believe he was under the impression that our son was already dating his daughter."

"Why would he think that?" Mikoto went to the cabinet to pull out the bags for tea and mugs. She got over her initial shock and took over the task of making tea, motioning for her husband to take a seat at their low kitchen table.

"He said that he assumed they were together because our son has been walking her to work and back home almost every day. He said it was unusual for someone that was just a friend to do that."

"Well is he sure that Sakura-chan would agree to the meeting?" Mikoto didn't want to get her hopes up but she couldn't help the bubble of excitement welling in her chest. She remembered what Mebuki had told her before about civilian clans no longer setting up their children for arranged marriages because it was an outdated custom for anyone outside of the noble clans.

"Kizashi-san was positive that his daughter would be overjoyed. He said he just needed to convince his wife on the matter which is why it took two weeks for me to get a response." Fugaku took the mug of tea his wife offered him and took a sip. "We will arrange a date for a week after Sakura-san returns from Suna. Give her some time to rest and spend time with her family first."

"That sounds reasonable. One question though."

"Yes?" Fugaku raised his eyebrow at his wife. He was sure she would have been content with everything. What more could she ask for?

"Do we really have to return those photos of Sakura-chan?"

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _**Here's a short chapter to lead to the events of next chapter. And now we know what Fugaku was doing visiting Kizashi.**_

 _ **I'm sorry for everyone that's not getting notifications about updates. I have no idea what's going on with FanFiction.**_

 _ **Next chapter should be up in the next couple of days. I kind of wish this one was longer but I kind of didn't want to marry this one with the next chapter.**_


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Naruto was calmly eating his second bowl of breakfast ramen when someone pulled on the back of his jacket and dragged him out of Ichiraku's. He barely registered the sound of ryo being placed on the counter when he was pulled into a dark alleyway.

 _This isn't how I pictured dying_. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and clung to the bowl he was still holding onto.

"Uzumaki, relax. It's just us."

Naruto opened his eyes and was welcomed by the grinning face of Uchiha Shisui and the much more somber, worried face of Itachi.

"We need to ask you some questions."

"This couldn't have waited until after I finished eating?"

"Yeah, but Itachi has a brother complex and─"

"I do not." Itachi frowned. "If you had siblings you would understand."

"Yeah, sure. Like you don't count as a younger brother."

"Considering the fact that I'm the more responsible one, I don't believe so."

"Will someone tell me what's going on!?" Naruto screeched. Itachi sighed and nodded. Shisui gave him a somewhat impressed look when he noticed that throughout the whole ordeal that Naruto hadn't dropped any of his ramen.

"Sasuke's missing. We had thought that he may have had a mission and forgot to leave a note at home but because he's also part of the police force he's suppose to check in at the station first," Itachi explained. Naruto's eyes widened and he thought back to the last time he saw Sasuke.

" _Y-yes. He looked to be in a rush. You don't think he's in tr-trouble do you?"_

"Ah!" Naruto pounded his fist into his hand, his eyes shining in realization. He didn't see Sasuke that day but Hinata had mentioned seeing Sasuke in a rush when they were on their date. That had been two days ago. "Hinata-chan said she saw him the other day trying to get somewhere like he was in a hurry. Wait! Aw, man. He's trying to run away from his birthday party today, that asshole!"

Itachi ran a hand down his face and held back a groan. He highly doubted that Sasuke would run away from home just to avoid getting drunk with his friends.

"As much as that seems likely..." Shisui patted Itachi's arm and tried to remain the level headed one. Itachi was good at faking calm but he was a bundle of nerves. "We don't know if that's why he's missing. But if you say Hyuga saw him rushing around it does rule out kidnapping."

"Who would kidnap, Sasuke?"

This time Itachi did groan and Shisui rubbed his back in a soothing motion. Itachi glared at him and let out a sigh.

"Naruto. Forest of Death. Orochimaru. Ring a bell?"

"Oh, right. That did happen, didn't it? Weird how we all forgot about that, huh?"

"Yeah, so you might see why we would be concerned." Itachi was starting to get impatient. A lot of time had been wasted already. "Well if you haven't seen him and he isn't staying with you we must be on our way to the Hokage's office."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to send a message to Sakura-chan she would want to know about this."

"Oh gods, we're stupid," Shisui groaned and slapped a hand over his face. Spreading his fingers to peek at Itachi he asked, "You don't think...?"

"Of all the things that my foolish little brother could have done, running to Suna to see his girlfriend is probably the most likely scenario."

"Wait, you guys know about that?" Naruto asked between coughs. He had resumed eating his ramen as the conversation had carried on and had choked when Itachi called Sakura Sasuke's girlfriend. "It's suppose to be a secret!"

"A horribly kept secret," Itachi scoffed causing Shisui to snort. "Practically half of the village knows. Our parents are the only ones that don't know."

"I wonder who blabbed?" Naruto scratched the top of his head thoughtfully.

"I don't think anyone needed to say anything Naruto," Shisui sighed. Itachi had taken off already. Agitated with waiting around. "We gotta go. Don't tell anyone that Sasuke is missing."

* * *

"Shizune-san. I have to go," Kakashi got up from his chair to leave. Shizune who had just set another pile of paperwork on his desk frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, no. You have a lot of work today, Kakashi-sama."

"I already said not to call me that. And this is an emergency."

"Oh, really? What is so pressing that─"

Shizune was cut off by two slow knocks on the door. Kakashi slid back into his seat and sighed.

"It's too late. Let him in."

Shizune raised an eyebrow but went to greet the visitor. Itachi strolled in followed by Shisui who was muttering apologies to Shizune for Itachi not greeting her.

"Kakashi-sama." Itachi and Shisui formally bowed.

"Why does no one listen when I tell them not to call me that?"

"Fine, Kakashi-senpai." Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kakashi who shrugged his shoulders in acceptance of the honorific despite how formal it was. "We came to request─"

"Permission to travel to Suna?" Kakashi asked while pulling out scrolls from a drawer in his desk. "Sasuke expected you to come to that conclusion. Surprising that it took longer than I expected though. He's already had a head start and should be there by now. He is quite fast."

"You let my brother go to Suna? Just like that?"

"Well he requested to go and I thought why not? Our team of delegates could use an escort back home anyway so what if he's a little early."

"Anything else you would like to inform us about?"

"Ah. This might be of interest. He asked for one of these." Kakashi pulled open another drawer and pulled out a folder. He took a single parchment from the folder and handed it to Itachi. Itachi's eyes went wide when he saw the form and Shisui who was looking from over his shoulder let out a whistle.

"Auntie is not going to like that."

"No she will not."

* * *

Shisui stood against the farthest wall he possibly could in the living room. He didn't care that Izumi had called him a coward. If he needed a quick escape he was going to be as far from Uchiha Mikoto as possible.

"Haha-Ue." Itachi handed his mother a cup of tea. They had decided to get her into a calm setting before they broke the news to her.

"You never call me that Itachi." Mikoto raised an eyebrow at her eldest son in suspicion. "Have you found out your brother's whereabouts?"

"Yes. And he's perfectly fine. He was sent to be the escort for Konoha's delegate team in Suna."

"Ita-chan."

"Yes, Okaa-san?"

"That's not all is it?"

"No it's not." Itachi looked at Izumi nervously who waved a hand at him to continue. "How do I put this as delicately as possible? Okaa-san, how much were you in favor of Sasuke marrying Haruno Sakura?"

"Very," Mikoto answered firmly. "I've only been planning their wedding since they were twelve."

"Oh boy. I'm out." Shisui tried to make a break for the exit but Izumi cut him off.

"Itachi needs you here for back up."

"You be here for back up! You're the wife!"

"Oh, so now that means something to you."

"What do you mean Sasu-chan has eloped with Sakura-chan!?" Mikoto screeched over Izumi and Shisui's bickering.

"That's it, I'm running even if I have to take you with me." Shisui tossed Izumi over his shoulder and headed for the front door only to be stopped by his uncle who was coming home for his lunch break.

"What are you two doing? My home isn't a playground."

"Go put an end to this Itachi. My son will not be married in a desert shrine!" Mikoto's could be heard from the living room where she was shouting.

"Would anyone like to eat out today?" Fugaku calmly asked as he put his shinobi sandals back on. "I'm in the mood for Yakiniku Q anyone else up for barbecue? Barbecue sounds really good right now."

"I'm up for barbecue," Shisui agreed happily as he placed Izumi back down. She gaped at them as they left. Shaking her head she went back to the living room to join Itachi and his mother.

Mikoto was sitting on her couch, sipping tea while holding a hand to her forehead. Itachi was nowhere to be seen but from the rustling sounds from upstairs it seemed that he was packing for his trip to Suna.

"I'm so confused. Why would Sasu-chan think he needed to elope? And since when has he been involved with Sakura-chan?"

"Um…" Izumi fiddled with the hem of her tunic top. She sighed and took a seat next to her mother-in-law. She took Mikoto's hand in her own and stroked it. "About half a year now?"

Mikoto's eyes widened in shock and she slumped backwards into her couch cushions.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"I don't know. But do you have any idea why he would run off? It would have just been easier to confess to being in a relationship than eloping."

Mikoto wrinkled her brow in confusion. Eloping seemed like an act of desperation. She was about to tell Izumi that she didn't know any reason why he would choose that route but then she remembered the day she found the black leather omiai folder on her husband's desk. Before she had gone to clean Fugaku's home office, Sasuke had entered to grab some reports his father had forgotten.

"It was our fault?"

"How was it your fault Kaa-san?" Izumi titled her head, puzzled.

"Fugaku and Kizashi-san had planned an omiai for Sasu-chan and Sakura-chan. Sasu-chan must have found the folder and thought he was being set up for an arranged marriage with someone else."

"Aha." Izumi smirked to herself. Her husband was right. His little brother was foolish. How could Sasuke not see how badly his mother wanted him to marry Sakura? It was so obvious. But then again, obliviousness was something he probably got from his mother since she didn't realize that her son was already in a relationship and with the girl she favored too. "Maybe there was too much meddling going on?"

Mikoto glared at her daughter-in-law. Tears were forming in her eyes. Taken aback, Izumi was about to apologize when Mikoto let out a loud wail.

"I had everything picked out already! What about my spring wedding?"

Izumi sighed and poured herself a cup of tea. It was going to be a long day of hearing her mother-in-law's complaints.

 _Guess this is one of my duties now._

* * *

It was late in the night, almost early morning, and all Sasuke wanted to do was sleep. A task proving difficult to accomplish due to the constant squirming of the body lying next to him in bed. Sighing he curled an arm around the lump of blankets and pulled it closer to him.

"Wife. I'm trying to sleep."

Sakura poked her pink head out of her cocoon of blankets and narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"How are you so calm? Do you realize how much trouble we're going to be in when we get home? How much trouble _you're_ going to be in?"

"You weren't so worried about that earlier today." Sasuke unwrapped Sakura so that he could join her under blankets and buried his face in her hair. It had been so long since he smelled her usual scent of fresh linens and antiseptic. He had found out recently that the floral part of her scent was daffodils which surprised him because he had assumed cherry blossoms at first but the smell Sakura carried wasn't like the trees that lined the Uchiha compound.

"I was a little caught up in the moment," Sakura muttered, face flushing pink in embarrassment. "What if they make us split up because they don't accept me as an Uchiha?"

"I'll just marry into your family," Sasuke said calmly. He had already thought of that possibility on his way over to Suna. "That would probably give the elders a heart attack. It will be funny to see their faces when they find out that the sharingan is no longer just an Uchiha kekkei genkai. Think about it, a Haruno with a dojutsu."

"Sasuke-kun...would you really become a Haruno?"

"I just said I would didn't I?" Sasuke huffed. "I chose you and nothing is going to change that. Now go to sleep you have an early day."

"You just want me to shut up so you can go to sleep."

"Yes but if you ask me the same question in the morning I'll give you the same answer."

"Hmph!" Sakura pouted but she snuggled closer to Sasuke. "Goodnight Anata."

"Goodnight wife."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _**Anyone called it that they would elope? If anyone is waiting for a bigger blow up, trust me it's being held in until Sasuke and Sakura can presently be there to be caught in it.**_

 _ **Boy was this dialogue heavy...**_

 _ **Next chapter should be out by Friday? Possibly Saturday.**_


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

The village gates had never looked so foreboding. Sasuke had been calm the whole week before coming home and on the three day travel from Suna but as soon as they were a mile out from the gates he started to feel anxious. There was a weird, somewhat frightening aura coming from inside the village of Konoha and it unsettled him.

Itachi had been glad to be away from home. He had sent a message to his mother when he got to Suna and met Sasuke telling her that they would be back in a week's time and to not fret, that Sasuke didn't get married in a desert shrine. He failed to mention that the marriage was still valid because they had signed a government document in front of the Kazekage and a witness from Konoha, Shikamaru, and sent it back to Konoha to be signed and filed away by their Hokage. Itachi wasn't going to be the one responsible for the assassination of the Rokudaime if his mother caught word that Hatake Kakashi had assisted in the elopement of his younger brother and Haruno Sakura.

Naruto was the most exhausted of them all. He hadn't slept properly since he and Itachi made it to Suna to try and get Sasuke to return home. He had originally wanted to yell at his best friends for getting married without telling him but he had received the shock of his life when he burst into Sakura's temporary apartment and caught his friends in a compromising situation. Naruto had run out screaming about his "virgin eyes" and hid in the Gaara's office for two days.

Sakura wasn't sure who was going to be more upset, her mother or Ino. Her mother would probably recover faster, happy that her daughter was married at all. Ino...Ino would pitch a fit over the lack of a ceremony and reception.

Shikamaru just wanted to go home and take a nap. His proposal to Temari and plans to strengthen the ties between Konoha and Suna, was completely overshadowed by the chaos Naruto had caused by overreacting to his friends' marriage.

"Otou-san?" Itachi was surprised to see his father standing by the village gates when they arrived.

"Go report to the Hokage. You," Fugaku looked over at Sasuke," come with me."

Without leaving any room for argument, Fugaku turned and marched down the road. Sasuke sighed and turned to say goodbye to Sakura. He poked her forehead and promised to see her later and followed his father.

Sasuke wasn't sure what his father had planned. He originally thought that Fugaku was leading them to the Uchiha district but they had taken a turn down a familiar road that was most definitely _not_ in the direction of the Uchiha compound.

 _What are we doing at Spring's Blossom Bakery?_

"Irasshaimase!" Kizashi's voice boomed when they stepped foot into the store and the bell atop the door rang.

Sasuke was about to ask why they were in the bakery when he was forced to the ground by his father pushing down on his head. He caught himself on his hands but noticed that he had been placed in a bowing position, prostrated in front of Haruno Kizashi. He had blanked out from the shock until he heard his father apologizing on his behalf as the head of their clan and Sasuke's father. He was nudged hard in the ribs so Sasuke muttered an apology as well which earned him a harder nudge until he he gave a proper apology for marrying Kizashi's daughter without asking his permission to do so.

"I hope we will still see you tomorrow at the main house at noon."

"The missus and I look forward to it," Kizashi responded cheerfully.

 _What the fu─!?_

Fugaku dragged a puzzled Sasuke out of the shop. They made their way to the Uchiha district, a thousand questions running through Sasuke's mind. Calming himself down, he cleared his throat to catch his father's attention.

"You aren't reacting the way I thought you would have, Tou-san."

"How did you expect me to react?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow at his son. "I've had a week to recover from the embarrassment of my youngest son deciding to abscond to a village in an entirely different country just to elope with his intended omiai partner."

"Wait, intended omiai partner? You don't mean…?"

"Oh, yes I do." Fugaku kept his face blank from any emotion but internally he was finding his son's shock to be amusing. When he had come back home and heard the story from his emotional wife and daughter-in-law he was baffled. He was embarrassed to have to explain the situation to the Harunos but otherwise found it amusing that his son had been sneaky enough to hide a relationship from him and Mikoto for so long.

Sasuke couldn't process what his father had just said. He had expected a fight only to come home and find out that his father had planned an arranged marriage meeting to the only person Sasuke would have ever had agreed to marry.

"If you were expecting an outburst just wait until we get home. Your mother has had a lot of choice words this past week."

Sasuke suppressed a shiver as they got closer to the main house where the foreboding aura he felt earlier increased in pressure.

* * *

"Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura groaned and threw her pillow over her head. Hisui meowed loudly in protest at the shuffling movement and curled herself up at the base of the bed by Sakura's feet. She laid there in peace until the door slammed open and then both she and Sakura jumped up in shock.

"Or should I say Uchiha Sakura?" Ino threw her body on Sakura's bed, jumping on top of the bundle of blankets Sakura was under. "I can't believe you got married without me being there! I wanted to see you in a pretty kimono you ass! Come out of there and fight me, Forehead. I need to give you a few good hits."

Ino playfully punched at the cocoon of blankets until Sakura squirmed free and held up her hands in protest. Ino rolled off of her and lied down next to her. The both of them stared up at Sakura's ceiling in silence until Ino broke it.

"I can't believe you got married before me."

"Ino. Sai calls your father tou-san and works in your mother's shop. He practically lives at your house. I think you two are the most married people I've ever met. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Sai hasn't already put himself in your family's registry."

"Oh gods, that is something he would do."

"You'll probably find out years later that your anniversary date is different than your ceremony date because Sai had already made the change without you knowing." The two girls burst out into giggles imagining Sai's antics. Their outburst slowed down and then their eyes widened.

"I need to go talk to Sai."

"Yeah, you do that. I have to get ready to go visit my in-laws." Sakura flushed pink. In awe she softly said, "I have in-laws."

"Did it really just hit you that you're married?"

"Well it was still very new and we were in Suna. It's kind of different now that we're home."

"I just realized that the week he was in Suna counts as your honeymoon!"

"I was working Ino. That doesn't count."

"Yes it did! What did you guys do all week?"

"You know who you should be bothering right now? Shikamaru. He proposed to Temari while we were on our mission."

"What!?" Ino shot up out of the bed and stormed out of Sakura's house. Sakura could hear her saying goodbye to her parents.

 _Sorry Shikamaru, but some sacrifices had to be made._

* * *

Sasuke's headache was getting worse. He had endured his mother's ranting the day before and now he had to sit awkwardly across from the Harunos and wait for them to finish chatting so they could finally discuss the plans for the future.

The only plus to the whole ordeal was that Sakura was wearing the pretty green kimono she had on at the festival last winter. She had scooped her long hair to the right side of her head and had pinned it with an ornamental butterfly, loose curls falling from the artfully messy bun, exposing the pale column of her neck. Her eyelashes were black today and the top of her eyelids were lined as well making her green eyes appear brighter. There was a pretty blush across her cheeks as she averted her eyes from his intense gaze.

 _Ow! What the hell?_

Sasuke looked over at his father who was staring ahead acting as if he hadn't just pinched his son's leg.

"I will get the hose, boy," Fugaku muttered under his breath so only Sasuke could hear him. His father had already come to the conclusion that Sasuke had taken advantage of his week alone with his bride and kept giving him the eye whenever Sasuke looked at Sakura too long.

Sasuke glared down at the low table they were seated at. He could practically hear Sakura giggling at his discomfort. The innocent blushing and careful way she had purposefully styled her hair to expose her creamy neck to him was a sly act she used to get his attention. It wasn't the first time she had done so. Whenever they sat next to each other and she was bored she would pull her hair so that it rested on the shoulder opposite of where he sat so that her neck was always shown at advantage.

"So it's agreed that there will be a formal ceremony next spring." Mikoto clapped her hands together. She and Mebuki had taken over most of the conversation. Kizashi barely spoke, his wife having reprimanded him earlier and warned him from making any jokes or puns in front of their in-laws, that it wasn't the time for his foolishness.

"You have really thought this through, Mikoto." Mebuki flipped through Mikoto's drawn out plans in awe. "Such attention to detail."

 _Yes, because my mother is insane!_

In her ranting the day before she had let slip that she had been carefully planning Sasuke's wedding to Sakura since they were still genin. She was completely incensed because he apparently "had the audacity to make his anniversary the same day as his birthday." He was still trying to forget what she had said about outfit changes throughout the reception since she couldn't decide on a change to modern or traditional clothing after the ceremony and having already ordered custom lingerie in the palest pink lace she could find for their wedding night.

"And a year would be more than enough time to build a marriage home for them to move into after the wedding." Mikoto pulled out another portfolio to show Mebuki. "Of course they would be living in the compound, but unfortunately the house that was originally built has permanent residents since Itachi refuses to live in the main house." Mikoto sighed, a hand falling to rest against her cheek. "I wouldn't mind Sasuke and Sakura just living with us but traditionally the first year is spent in their own home in attempts to make heirs and that would just be inappropriate with your parents sleeping down the hall."

At this Sakura started choking on air, face flushed red. Sasuke smirked, happy to see that she was finally flustered. Fugaku had apparently thought Sasuke was having lascivious thoughts for he had bypassed sneaking pinches and went straight to pulling Sasuke's ear.

"Tou-san! This is getting ridiculous!"

Mikoto cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at her husband and son. Fugaku dropped Sasuke ears and composed himself.

"So until next spring the two will have a commuter marriage," Fugaku explained to the Harunos and most importantly the young couple. Both Sasuke and Sakura's jaws dropped. "Because they were wed by the Rokudaime's power, the marriage has to be recognized by law but according to Uchiha customs they should have been bound together in marriage at Naka Shrine. We will simply act as if they hadn't married yet until the ceremony."

"A commuter marriage?" Sakura squeaked out the question.

"Tou-san, we live and work in the same village. Why would we need to have a commuter marriage?" Sasuke was not happy with the outcome of indulging in his mother's wedding plans. Now it would seem as if though he and Sakura were simply dating.

"Because I _will_ have my spring wedding Uchiha Sasuke!" Mikoto huffed angrily. "Just because you are technically married by law it doesn't mean we won't do this properly. You will not do Sakura-chan the disservice of ruining her reputation by cohabiting with her."

"It won't be shacking up because she's already my wife."

"It will be seen as such without a proper ceremony!"

"You can see your wife during daylight hours. At night you both are to go back to your respective homes." Fugaku stared down his son daring him to argue. Sasuke turned away, knowing his mother had won since his father was on her side.

"We still have a lot to discuss," Kizashi finally chirped up. "Why don't we let the youngsters go for a walk while we talk some more?"

Kizashi was now Sasuke's favorite person in the room, right behind his wife. His head was throbbing and he needed fresh air.

The young couple excused themselves and left the formal sitting area. They walked down to the lake and once they were standing at the dock, Sakura let out a scream.

"Feel better?" Sasuke asked, patting the top of her head.

"Much," Sakura chirped, beaming up at him. "Bend down. I'll ease your headache. Your eye kept twitching the entire time."

Sasuke did as he was asked and bent down so Sakura could place her hands on his head. He closed his eyes and sighed when cooling chakra entered his system. A soft pair of lips pressed against his and he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"What was that for?'

"Because I can, _Anata_ ," Sakura teased sticking her tongue out at him. "Not like we have to stop doing that right?"

Sakura slid her small hand in his and interlocked their fingers. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her but then shrugged.

"Just for a little bit, _wife_."

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _**Yeah Mikoto isn't going to let them off that easy.**_

 _ **Next chapter will probably be up on Sunday or Monday.**_


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"I. Have. Had. It!"

Kizashi sighed as he watched his only child pace back in forth in their kitchen. Sakura was stress baking and his heart hurt every single time something cracked or slammed harder than any normal shinobi could have slammed something.

 _Can we afford to replace all of our cabinets? That was my favorite whisk too..._

"Sorry, Papa." Sakura settled the mixing bowl she was holding down on the counter. "I've told the messengers to come to my window but some of them keep insisting on using the front door. I can brew something up to help you sleep."

"Don't worry about it. I have to be at the bakery in two hours anyway."

Sakura was busier than ever now that she was Chief Medic and was being dragged out of her home more often at odd hours. Her parents were being greatly affected by her new job.

"Maybe I should move out."

Sakura had been mulling it over in her head for the past two months. Ever since she got back from Suna she had enjoyed being home with her family but she was having a hard time adjusting. She had never realized just how inconveniently located her home was. The distance from her house to the hospital had never seemed so far before but now that she practically lived at the hospital and spent her time at home just to shower and sleep, she realized just how far of a walk it was.

Sasuke wasn't happy either. He had tried matching his schedule with hers so that he could walk her home when she was tired and drained of chakra but she was constantly working later hours and sending him home when it seemed as though she wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. They had almost caused a scene when Sakura couldn't reign in her temper, too tired to act calm, and had cracked her desk in half because he refused to leave her office until she went home.

 _It's going to be even worse when I move into the Uchiha District_ , Sakura groaned inwardly. Sakura and Sasuke would be moving into a home in the Uchiha district in the spring. Their wedding was in seven months, in April, and time seemed to just be passing by.

At first Sakura had thought that Mikoto just wanted to keep her family close. She hadn't realized that there was a reason for the fact that there wasn't a single Uchiha that lived outside of their district. Ever since the Nine-Tails attack eighteen years ago, the entire clan had been pushed to the outskirts of town. Itachi had told Sasuke that it was a decision that was made by the village leaders of the time and it had just remained that way. It wasn't something discussed anymore so not many of the younger generation knew why it was that they all lived isolated from the rest of the village.

"Your mother and I were hoping you would spend the rest of the year here with us. You're going to be moving anyway once the wedding is held." Kizashi placed a kettle on the stove. He hoped some tea would relax Sakura and make it easier for her to fall asleep. One of the reasons he hoped she would stay instead of moving out was that he and Mebuki would worry about how she would care for herself when she was on her own. She worked so much and didn't reserve enough energy to care for herself.

"I know. But I don't think it would be right to carry on like this for seven more months."

Sakura took the cup of tea her father made for her and dragged her feet to her bedroom. She would look into searching for an apartment once she had slept for a few solid hours.

* * *

Sakura woke up hours later and screamed when she saw Sasuke's face close enough to her own that they could have brushed noses. In her shock she shoved him off of her bed. Sasuke picked himself back up and scowled at her.

"Did you forget what your own husband looked like?"

"I didn't expect you to be in my bed!" Sakura flushed red, embarrassed to have been caught off guard. "I didn't even sense you come in."

Sasuke grunted in annoyance. She was so overworked and exhausted she wouldn't wake up if someone intruded, which he, technically, just did. He had let her continue sleeping because she had worked for the past three days almost without break.

Sakura adjusted her comforter so that it was back on her bed properly and patted the spot next to her. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her but joined her back in bed. As soon as he was lying down Sakura curled up against him borrowing his body warmth. It was only early October but it was already cold out.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? No training today?" If Sakura had her days of the week right, Sasuke had an off day today.

"I thought I could try to spend some time with my wife." Sasuke pinched her nose between the knuckles of his index finger and middle finger and pulled lightly. "I'm allowed to do that aren't I?"

"Can we just lie around in bed until I have to go to work later?"

Sasuke nodded, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. He held back from flinching when her toes started to slide up under his nin pants. Her feet were always so cold. Whenever they slept together he had to deal with her layers of blankets which trapped him in intense heat and then deal with her impossibly cold hands and feet. What was it with doctors always having cold hands?

"I'm planning on moving out of my parents house."

"How come?" Sasuke pressed his nose against the top of Sakura's pink head and inhaled deeply. He wasn't going to complain about missing her but it seemed almost impossible to get some time with her now that she was busier at work and his father and mother were aware of their relationship. His mother was very graphic about what she would do if Sakura found herself pregnant _before_ their wedding.

"I need to live somewhere closer."

"The Uchiha district is a lot farther than this."

"I know."

"That could be a problem."

Sasuke was sure his mother would be against it but he wanted to live outside of the Uchiha District if it was more convenient for Sakura. He would have to discuss it with his father and try to help him convince Mikoto. Sasuke knew Fugaku would be the more logical one in this scenario. He could also appeal to Mikoto's fondness of Sakura and hope that she would want to make Sakura's life easier.

"Do you want to come with me when I check out apartments?" Sakura pulled back so that she could look at Sasuke's face. "You may not be able to live with me yet but you'll be spending a lot of your time there too so it would make sense that you like the place too."

"Hmm," Sasuke hummed in agreement to accompany her. Sakura gave him a chaste kiss, happy that he would help her pick a new home.

" _Anata_ ," Sakura dropped her voice to a whisper. She slid her hand under his shirt and trailed her fingers over the toned planes of his stomach. "We're alone. And I don't have to go to work for another four hours."

Sasuke's eyes lit up with realization as to what she was implying. Instantly, she was on her back and he was hovering over her. Sasuke leaned down to kiss her when there was a knock coming from her window.

"Please don't let that be another messenger," Sakura whined. Sasuke pulled away from her and went to find out what was the cause for the interruption. He drew back her curtain and gaped at the person standing on Sakura's veranda.

" _Shisui!?_ " Sasuke stared wide eyed at his cousin who was waving cheerfully outside of Sakura's bedroom window. "Since when did you deliver messages from the hospital?"

"Oh, I don't have a message from the hospital. I'm here to cockblock," Shisui explained giddily. "Uncle sent me as birth control─I mean to come fetch you. Time to go, Shrimp."

"Will you quit calling me that? I'm taller than you."

"You'll always be Shrimp to me." Shisui held his hands to his heart and faked a sniffle as he smiled up at Sasuke. Sasuke shot him a look of disgust and then went to grab his nin sandals.

"I'll talk to you later."

"Okay." Sakura looked up at him expectantly. Sasuke was aware that she wanted a kiss goodbye but Shisui had started snickering making his presence difficult to ignore. He chose instead to tap her forehead. She pouted and then shot Shisui a glare. "See you later Sasuke-kun."

Sakura sighed and shuffled back to bed. She vaguely heard Shisui taunting Sasuke outside her window.

" _Anata_? Really? That's so _cute_. Ow!"

* * *

The next time Sasuke saw Sakura she was passed out, head resting on her paperwork. Naruto turned to him and raised his arms up in a shrug.

"Do we let her sleep or do we wake her up?" Naruto had wanted dinner at Ichiraku with Team Kakashi for his birthday. He had spent the day with Hinata and was going to end the day with his best friends but it was approaching ten at night and Sakura was still at work. Because of how late it had gotten they sent Sai to order their food to go and to just meet them at Naruto's apartment.

"She'd be upset if we let her miss your birthday dinner." Sasuke sighed and shook Sakura's shoulder gently. Sakura grumbled and swatted at his hand before waking up and stretching her arms over her head. She stretched until her joints popped and Naruto cringed.

"God, I wish you'd stop doing that."

"What are you guys doing here?" Sakura's voice was groggy from sleep. After Sasuke had left earlier with Shisui she got a real messenger requesting that she come early to the hospital.

"I'm eighteen today, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's eyes widened. She looked at the clock on her wall and groaned.

"I'm so sorry Naruto. I missed dinner, didn't I?" She stood up and gave him a hug. Naruto squeezed her tightly, happy for all of the extra affection he was receiving that day.

"Nah. Sai's ordering take out and we're just going to hang out at my place." Naruto ruffled her hair and she frowned at him. He had started doing that often ever since his growth spurt.

"He baked a cake by the way," Sasuke informed her. "We better hope Yamanka helped him with that."

"Why are you worried? You don't eat anything sweet," Naruto grumbled. "Who left him in charge of getting the cake anyway?"

"I think he assumed I wouldn't be able to bake one this year and he wanted to do something nice." Sakura frowned, remembering that she had left batter in the fridge earlier in the morning but never got around to doing anything with it because she needed to sleep.

"Wanna bet that cake says 'Happy Birthday Dickless'?" Sasuke smirked. Naruto's face flushed red in embarrassment and anger.

"I'll throw it at him!"

The three of them walked at a slower pace than usual to Naruto's apartment. Sakura stood between them using their height to take guard from the wind and to share their warmth since they both were always impossibly warm.

"This is nice," Naruto broke the comfortable silence they had. "I'm glad we can all still hang out. I thought it was going to be the Husband and Wife show from now on."

"It's not like we can get rid of you. We've tried. You keep coming back like a boomerang."

"Hey! Your husband's being an ass to me on my birthday, Sakura-chan."

"You're the one that wanted things to remain the same," Sakura teased him. Naruto pouted. Sakura giggled and linked her arms with theirs.

Sakura zoned out their bickering just enjoying their presence. It was hard to stay stressed out from work when surrounded by people you love.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _**Just a short transition chapter.**_

 _ **I wanted to get a chapter out to you guys sooner but I was exhausted this past weekend. I forgot how much energy it actually takes for me to go get a haircut (y'all can laugh at this, it's one of the silliest things that makes me tired). And then Mother's Day happened and it was awful. This is why I celebrate it alone with my mother on the Salvadoran Mother's Day. The rest of my family makes it suck.**_

 _ **So I wasn't entirely in the mood to write any fluff.**_

 _ **I'm really low on energy this week so I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out but I want it be on Friday. Hopefully I can work on it earlier than that. I do want it to be a much longer chapter than what I've been doing lately especially considering what I want to cover.**_


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

After the fourth apartment, Sakura noticed an odd trend. Besides the similar complaints that the view wasn't as good as it could be or needing a veranda, Sasuke and Sakura couldn't seem to agree on the size. Sakura didn't mind the smaller apartments but Sasuke shook his head whenever she asked what he thought.

"What's wrong with small apartments, Sasuke?" Sakura pouted after the fifth apartment they visited. "I don't need much space."

"You're underestimating how much space you're going to need." Sasuke rifled through the listings Sakura had gathered. "This one looks good."

"That's more than I want to pay though." Sakura frowned. It was a nice apartment and she already knew where it was located. It was close enough to both the hospital and the market and the listing stated it had all of the amenities that she wanted.

"It's within your budget and considering it has a washer and dryer it's worth the extra ryo. You won't have to run back to your parents' house or to the laundromat. Let's check this one out."

Besides the minor hiccup with the disagreement on how many square feet was necessary, it was a pretty pleasant day. It was nice being able to go out and not have to worry about anyone wondering about their relationship since they were no longer hiding. Of course Sasuke was just playing the role of supportive boyfriend but Sakura found it nice pretending that they were looking for a new home together.

"Your father needs to co-sign the lease?" Sasuke asked as they made their way back to Sakura's house after they agreed on the larger apartment that Sasuke had suggested.

"I'm a shinobi. I barely go out on missions because I have a hospital to run but landlords are wary about renting to someone that could die at random because of their profession and then be left without the rent owed to them. It's highly prejudiced considering that they run the same risk with plenty of other professions."

"You would think the Hokage's office would take care of that. Would it be bad if another shinobi were to co-sign your lease?" Sasuke hadn't said anything but he had wanted to be part of the lease, so even if it were only on paper it seemed as though they were living together. Sakura flushed pink, liking the idea of their names side by side on another official document.

"It wouldn't be but my name is still Haruno. And we don't know if the landlord might talk to someone about an Uchiha co-signing a lease for someone outside of their clan."

Despite being married, Sakura hadn't changed her surname. She was going to when she came back from Suna but was stopped by Sasuke's parents. Mikoto wanted to wait until their wedding ceremony to change Sakura's surname to Uchiha and Fugaku had agreed. Fugaku had already included her in their family registry and would change Sakura's family name the morning of their wedding just so that the clan elders wouldn't know that the family head had gone over the heads yet again when it came to the decision of who one of the heirs would be marrying.

Mikoto had a strange gleam in her eye whenever anyone brought up the fact that the elders would go in an uproar once they officially announced the wedding during the December meeting. Her family shifted away from her, nervous, whenever she she smiled icily at the mention of it. Mikoto was expecting a fight and she was looking forward to it. There was an odd smile on Itachi's face sometimes when he noticed his mother's behavior. It seemed he would actually look forward to attending a clan meeting for once.

"What are we doing today?" Sasuke asked after they dropped off the paperwork where Sakura's father would find it when he came home later.

"Hiding from Ino."

"So same as usual?"

Because of Sakura's busy schedule, she had very limited time to socialize and had to split the time she did have amongst her parents, Sasuke, Naruto, Sai, and Ino. Luckily Sai seemed to always be attached to Ino's hip if he wasn't on missions or training. Because of the limited time she did have, her friends chose how they spent her time wisely. Apparently Ino could no longer hold back her curiosity and had recently been hounding Sakura for the details of Sasuke's proposal and their week in Suna. So far, Sakura had been evading her without issue.

It wasn't that Sakura didn't like Sasuke's proposal, she loved it. It was special for her and she didn't care to share it with anyone. Sakura also had the sinking suspicion that Ino was asking because it was like another one of their little competitions and she just wanted to know the bar that Sai had to top.

"I think she recruited Sai for her cause. He's been asking, you know, in his subtle way."

"You mean bluntly asking in his straightforward fashion?"

"Of course. How else would Sai do it? Can you believe our squad is sent on reconnaissance missions? What a _fantastic_ quality in a spy." Sakura giggled. Sasuke had a sarcastic sense of humor that she found endearing. It was one of the things she wouldn't have found out about before they were put on the same genin team and also one of the things that made her grateful that they were teamed up. Getting to know all the little things about him made her love grow through the years.

"He's not so bad when it comes to missions."

"Why won't you tell her? Did you have expectations that I failed to meet?"

* * *

 _As soon as she saw him, Sakura jumped on him wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into the crook of his neck. She had sensed him outside her door but thought that maybe her longing was finally making her imagine things._

" _Sasuke-kun…" she murmured against his neck. She could feel Sasuke shiver a bit and she smiled, pressing a kiss to his neck. "I missed you. I expected a letter not for you to come see me."_

" _A hawk messenger wouldn't be appropriate for this…" Sasuke set her down and led her to the couch in Sakura's living room. He sat down and pulled her down to sit next to him._

 _Sasuke explained how he had heard the elders conspiring against each other in finding him a bride. They were already upset with his father for rejecting their propositions and accepting Izumi as the next head's wife, against their advice. Because Itachi had been able to marry the woman of his choice, Sasuke hadn't thought that it would be any different for him. But then he saw the omiai folder sitting on his father's desk. An omiai folder with the Uchiha crest on it. It was easy to assume it was meant for him since he was the only eligible Uchiha in the main family and he was turning eighteen making him finally legal for marriage. Easy to assume his father had accepted an arranged marriage meeting for him._

" _So you're here because...you want to call it off in person?" Sakura asked, eyes downcast. Things were going so well that Sakura had forgotten her past insecurities about not being good enough for Sasuke because she wasn't an Uchiha. "It couldn't wait a week until I got home?"_

" _Oh gods, no!" Sasuke's eyes went wide, panicking at where Sakura's train of thought had gone to. "I came here to marry you!'_

" _What?" Sakura looked back up at Sasuke, shock on her face, eyes glassy from unshed tears._

 _Sasuke sighed and walked over to his pack that he had dropped on the floor when he entered Sakura's apartment. He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Sakura. Sakura quickly saw that it was a marriage certificate form, Sasuke's information already filled out._

" _I didn't run away from home, turn a three day travel into a two day one, to come here and break up with you." Sasuke snapped. He may have sounded frustrated but the reddening of his ears gave away his embarrassment. "I didn't even go to the Kazekage yet like I was suppose to before coming to see you. As soon as I got to Suna the first thing I did was find you. Do you know why?"_

 _Sakura nodded her head, lower lip trembling slightly._

" _Why, Sakura?'_

" _Because you missed me?"_

" _Yes, dammit. I missed you." Sasuke sighed and leaned down to rest his forehead on Sakura's. "Wanna know what I do every day? I wake up and I miss you. I got to work and I miss you. I go train and I miss you. I take a mission and think about how much closer or farther away I am from you and I miss you. I usually never have to try and sense you because it's like your energy is always calling out to me. You were the first chakra signature I've ever tried to differentiate, wanted to separate from all of the others. That was back when we were_ kids _. You have no idea how empty it feels when I'm home in Konoha and I can't just_ feel _you."_

 _Sakura swallowed hard, throat dry from holding back from crying, a tear rolling down her cheek. Not once had Sasuke told her that he had missed her in one of his letters. He just said there was nothing new, that each day was the same as the last. She never considered that missing her had become a normal occurrence within the past three months. Nothing special to report because it shouldn't have been news._

" _I want only_ you _. Which is why I'm here, tired and dusty and slightly dehydrated, running away from my clan so that I can tell you that I want to marry you. I don't want some random Uchiha. I want Haruno Sakura."_

 _Sakura threw her arms around his neck again and kissed full and hard like she had wanted to as soon as she saw him drop his pack when he walked into her apartment, scolding her for leaving the door unlocked._

" _I love you Sasuke-kun," Sakura murmured against his mouth. "So much. I just want you to be happy and I'd do anything to make sure you are."_

" _It would make me pretty happy if you married me," Sasuke said cheekily as he pulled her into his lap. "It would be a pretty good birthday present."_

" _Will it now?"_

" _Yes._ Way _better than that tantō Itachi got me when we were fourteen."_

 _Sakura giggled and peppered Sasuke's face with kisses._

" _It's still pretty early in the morning. We could wait an hour or two before seeing the Kazekage. How about I show you how much I missed you?" Sakura smirked slyly, tugging on the hem of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke stood up, tossing her over his shoulder._

" _Which door's the one for your bedroom?"_

* * *

"I just don't feel like bragging." Sakura bumped Sasuke's arm with her shoulder, eyes gleaming, a cheeky grin on her face. "And it's also fun to watch her squirm with curiosity. She's going to flip out one of these days."

"Well, it's a rare off day for you. What do you wanna do with it?" Sasuke smiled softly, eyes tender as he watched her. It had been a while since he saw her so carefree.

"I haven't sparred in a while. Can we do that?"

"Just as long as you don't try to swing a giant tree at me again."

"That was _one_ time."

* * *

Mikoto hummed to herself as she double checked that all of the invitations she had ordered had come out properly. Unlike Itachi's wedding, they were going to invite all of Sasuke and Sakura's friends. She was going to use their wedding to make up for the things she had missed with her first son's wedding.

"Mikoto."

Mikoto looked up from her box of invitations and turned a smile to her husband who was standing at the entrance to their living room.

"Yes?"

Fugaku hesitantly came closer and then sat next to his wife. He wanted to give her a heads up on a conversation they needed to have with the young couple but he was also worried that she would be upset.

"We need to talk about Sasuke's marriage home. And his more permanent home as well."

"What about it?"

Fugaku sighed. There was no avoiding it.

"Sasuke had some concerns. He and Sakura-san would like a home near the hospital. Outside of the compound. It would be more convenient and I agree with─"

"I know." Mikoto went back to examining the invitations for flaws. "Sakura-chan needs to be able to be reached at all times and the Uchiha district is much too far."

"So, you don't mind?"

"I've already purchased a lot of land in the residential district near the hospital. I sent design plans to the Rokudaime. He said he would ask his friend Yamato-san to see what he could do."

"And the house you're building here?"

"A decoy. If a house were actually being built there it should have been done by now."

Fugaku's brows furrowed in confusion. He had no idea what his wife was up to.

"Why do we need a decoy house?"

"I knew that the house location would be an issue and that Sakura and Sasuke would be worried about it. The decoy house is to distract them from the real house and to further their worrying for a bit. I'll tell them about their new house next month after the elders are informed that they are to be wed."

"Why would you do that?" Fugaku was becoming increasingly worried that he had no understanding of what was going through his family member's minds anymore. _I need to cut back on how many hours I work. Stick around the house more._

"To teach our son a lesson." Mikoto smiled innocently at her husband. "Stress him out. It's payback for running away and getting married behind my back. _Don't you dare tell him any of this Fugaku_. Oh, look at the time. I should get started on dinner."

Fugaku watched as his wife organized the invitations into separate piles of completed and yet to be examined cards and then made her way to the kitchen, humming pleasantly to herself.

"She should have never retired. She has way too much time on her hands."

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _**does it feel like I haven't uploaded in a while? It feels like that to me.**_

 _ **I originally wasn't going to write this chapter. I had wanted Sasuke's proposal to be up to y'all's imaginations but I was feeling emotional.**_

 _ **I had to make Mikoto a little devious here.**_

 _ **Next chapter should be up by the end of the week.**_


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Sakura dragged herself into her apartment, eyes barely open and collapsed onto the couch in the living room. She laid there for a moment, face down on the cushions. She was just about to fall asleep when she shot back up.

"This isn't my couch."

Sakura had moved into her new apartment two weeks ago with only her bedroom furniture and bathroom and kitchen supplies. She figured she could wait to get any living room furnishings, refusing to let her parents buy her any. She let Mebuki make her sets of curtains for all of her windows to allow her some privacy but that was it.

"My mother wouldn't listen and got all of this stuff." Sasuke handed her a plate of stir-fry and sat next to her on the couch. "I didn't know you gave her a copy of your key."

"I didn't."

Sasuke let out a deep sigh and rubbed his brows with his thumb and index finger. His mother was proving to be far more eccentric with each week in passing. When Haruno Mebuki had come over to the main house for tea and told her about Sakura moving out, Mikoto had pulled out a catalogue for a furniture company and started rifling through it. She apparently had dozens of catalogues for different things but no one in the family knew where she kept them.

"At least she has good taste?" Sakura shrugged, stuffing her mouth with another huge bite of stir-fry. It had been a very long time since she worried about her eating habits in front of Sasuke. He had become accustomed to watching her stuff her face after long shifts at work.

"This isn't something we should let her get use to. She'll just end up inviting herself over whenever she pleases."

"You mean like yourself?" Sakura teased him. She placed her plate on her new coffee table and then stretched out on the couch, resting her head on Sasuke's lap. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face against his stomach.

"It's not the same thing. You wouldn't eat anything if I didn't come over and cook. Why do doctors suck at taking care of themselves?" Sasuke scratched at her scalp with his blunt nails, enjoying her cat like behavior as she curled into him more the more affectionate he was. "I organized your books and scrolls on the bookshelf. And I went grocery shopping by the way."

"How many tomatoes did you buy?"

"An acceptable amount."

Sakura snorted. An acceptable amount to Sasuke could mean that her entire produce drawer was filled with only tomatoes.

"Do you have to go soon?"

"Yeah it's pretty late. I'm sure Shisui is outside waiting for us to slip up."

"He's enjoying this isn't he?"

"You have no idea."

Shisui was enjoying interfering in Sasuke and Sakura's alone time. He had confessed that it wasn't as fun when he had to watch over Itachi and Izumi because they were very unlikely to fool around before they were married. With Sasuke he found it hilarious to get in his way just to get the chance to make fun of him.

"I'm being sent on a mission tomorrow. I think that's the only reason my parents were fine with me coming here so late," Sasuke informed her as they made their way to the door to the apartment. "I'll be gone for a week."

"You shouldn't have bought so many tomatoes."

"I did say I bought an acceptable amount. Enough just for you. It's not like I actually live here."

"Right."

It was starting to get annoying not being able to come home after a late shift and enjoy each other's company. It was unusual for Sasuke to still be in her apartment when she came home from the hospital and she really wished he were there, just to curl up next to him and enjoy a quiet night after running around all day.

"I'll see you when I get back."

"I'll be here. Waiting." Sakura waved halfheartedly. Sasuke sighed and tapped her forehead. It had become something he was use to doing now. He made sure Itachi never saw him doing it. He knew he would never hear the end of it then.

"I'm going to find you in the hospital sleeping on a stack of paperwork again."

"That was only twice!" Sakura huffed, puffing out her cheeks and face flushing pink. Sasuke laughed, which was more of an exhale of air than anything else, and flash stepped away.

Sakura turned back to face her living room and examined all of her new furniture. Most of it was higher quality than what she would have picked out or had been able to buy herself without taking a heavy plunge into her savings. She was going to have to have a talk with Uchiha Mikoto.

* * *

There was something different about visiting the Uchiha main house after becoming engaged to Sasuke. Sakura became anxious as she made her way through the Uchiha district and she had no understanding as to why. It wasn't as if her relationship with the Uchihas had become worse afterward. In fact they were a lot friendlier.

"Sakura-chan!"

Mikoto had all but ripped the shoji door out of the structure of her house after Sakura rang the bell. She wrapped her arms around the slightly taller woman and squeezed as hard as she could, which surprisingly was harder than Sakura had expected.

"Come in! Come in!" Mikoto linked her arm with Sakura and dragged her into her home. Sakura barely had any time to remove her nin sandals before she was sat on the living room couch. "I barely see you anymore. You shouldn't stretch yourself so thin at the hospital it's not good for your health to be working so much."

Sakura laughed nervously and accepted the cup of tea that Mikoto offered her. That was the same conversation she had with her own mother and Sasuke as well. Although, the conversation with Sasuke was more of the silent staring variety. There was a lot he could convey with just a simple look full of judgement. Mebuki had been the complete opposite of both Uchihas, not sweet and very, very loud. She had even threatened to drag Sakura back home if she found out that she had fallen asleep in her office again. Her mother was a kind woman but she could only take so much.

"Um, Mikoto-san?" Sakura had been sitting in the living room just chatting and gossiping with Mikoto and enjoying homemade treats for forty-five minutes without bringing up the reason why she had stopped by. If she let Mikoto take over the conversation it was going to drag on without her saying anything about the furniture. And the longer she let Mikoto talk the more she would feel as though she were being ungrateful.

"Hmm?" Mikoto smiled sweetly, raising her teacup to her mouth daintily. Sakura had to remind herself that Uchiha Mikoto was a retired jonin and her sweet disposition masked the fact that she should be feared. It was ironic since deceit was one of Sakura's advantages. No one expected a tiny pink haired woman to have the strength to destroy mountains.

"About the furniture you bought for my apartment─"

"Isn't the red suede just divine?" Mikoto cut her off, eyes shining brightly with excitement. "It pairs so well with the ebony tables and white throw pillows. It was fun choosing more modern furnishing. Izumi likes the vintage look and I'm just a little tired of looking at it. So much so that I might change the furniture here!"

Mikoto flashed a page of a deep navy blue couch, just like the one currently sitting in Sakura's living room except in color, and pointed at it.

"Isn't this a lovely color? And it already pairs well with most of the furniture we already have to be honest."

"Yes, it is." Sakura gave her a weak smile. _Where did she pull that out from?_ "You have really good taste─"

"Aha! I wish Itachi were here to hear you say that."

"But I don't think it's appropriate for you to buy me so much stuff."

Mikoto's smile slipped into an impassive look, an unusually blank expression for her. Sakura almost double taked because she looked so much like Sasuke when she wasn't wearing her pleasant smile.

"I'm really, truly, grateful but your gifts─no matter how practical they are─are so _expensive_. I'm starting to feel spoiled."

"Aww, are you trying to deny me the act of doting on my daughter-in-law?" Mikoto pinched Sakura's cheek and giggled.

"Yes, actually." Sakura pulled Mikoto's hand away as gently as possibly. "Mikoto-san, I didn't even let my own parents buy me any furnishings for my new home. I am trying to be as independent as possible and I need to be able to provide for myself first."

"You let Sasuke take care of things."

"Yes. Because he's my _husband_ and eventually I'm going to have to get use to sharing my space and responsibilities with another person."

Mikoto let out a heavy sigh and then pouted. Sakura tried to use the same stern face her own mother used when she was younger and she tried to get her way. It was hard because she really wanted to please Mikoto since she was her mother-in-law. She never thought that the problem with an in-law would be that they were too nice.

"I guess you can just accept the furniture as an early wedding present. We'll end up moving it to your new home after the wedding."

"About that...Sasuke and I were talking about the new house and─"

"Oh would you look at the time! It's almost time for your shift and it's a long walk to the hospital. You should get a move on."

Mikoto snatched Sakura's teacup and placed it on the coffee table. She took Sakura's hand in hers and practically dragged her out of the house.

"This was fun, Sakura-chan. You should come over more often." Mikoto waved good-bye and shut the main shoji door.

"That was weird," Sakura muttered.

 _I just hope she's not like this when we have kids. If she_ and _my dad get their way our kids will be spoiled rotten._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _**a short chapter this time. I wanted this out on Monday but sadly I wasn't feeling well all weekend and have been spending most of my time when not at work sleeping for the past week. This was all I could get done for this fic with how I'm feeling.**_

 _ **Unfortunately, TPOAM will be reduced to weekly updates. I will still try to get two a week considering the chapters are so short but I'm getting it down to at least once a week. I was originally going to have like a month like hiatus but I felt weird not writing for a week, it felt too long for me because of my usual quick updates and I didn't want to disappoint everyone that's been reading this since I started writing fanfic back in March.**_

 _ **I wrote more about why I felt off about this fic on tumblr and I never meant to bring it up here but I felt like I had to at least warn you guys about the slow down.**_

 _ **To all the new readers and followers and people that favorited this fic: Hi. How you doin'? Welcome.**_

 _ **Next chapter will be out hopefully on Monday but if I have another crappy weekend that may not happen so soon.**_


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Izumi's mouth quirked, twisting to the side as she watched Itachi tie his hair in it's low ponytail. Although he looked as stoic as usual, there was a weird buzz radiating off of him. There was this energy around him that was unusual for days like today.

Excited. Itachi was excited and─considering it was a clan meeting day─that made Izumi very uncomfortable.

"You're... _happy_ to go listen to the complaints of those old fools?" Izumi cleared the table of the dishes they had used for breakfast. She had learned a long time ago that if there was any meal that she wanted Itachi to cook for her that breakfast wasn't it. She had silently cursed Sasuke on the first morning that Itachi had cooked, her brother-in-law didn't think to warn her not to let Itachi prepare eggs. It was well into lunch time by the time Itachi had fried what he believed were perfect eggs.

Izumi didn't have the heart to tell them that she didn't like fried eggs and preferred them scrambled. Her father, before he had passed away, always broke the yolk and so they just ate scrambled eggs with a side of jam and toast at her house and that's the way she had become accustomed to eating them.

Izumi found it cute that her supposedly perfect husband had the strangest weaknesses: sweets and the inability to make fried eggs without obsessing over them.

"My parents are announcing Sasuke's engagement to Sakura-chan today," Itachi explained giving her an innocent smile.

"You're a sadist." Itachi's eyes went wide and his hand flew to his chest dramatically, feigning offense. "You're hoping the elders say something to set your mother off."

"It's the only thing about this meeting to look forward to. Plus, my mother has been walking around like she knows some secret for the past month and she won't tell any of us."

"Such a shame that I can't go," Izumi grumbled.

"Shisui's going today. He recently bought a small version of those clunky video cameras and he's going to record the announcement in secret. I'm sure he'll be over this evening to show it to you."

"Good. Now come help me dry so that we can both get on with our day."

Izumi tossed him a dishrag and got to work on scrubbing the dishes. One of the things that Izumi appreciated about married life was that Itachi had no qualms about helping with any housework. He said he found it therapeutic to clean and the two of them divided the chores.

"So how's your brother handling his wife reaching jonin rank before him?"

"Surprisingly well. I thought he would have been jealous when they found out last month but instead he has this weird proud aura around him whenever it's brought up."

The month before, the Rokudaime had promoted Sakura to jonin. At first her parents had been concerned because they thought it meant that she was going to be sent away for more long-term─and possibly solo─missions. Kakashi had explained that in all honesty she could possibly be once she's done training her new army of medic-nin but that there was a more pressing matter for her promotion that he hadn't explained in further detail.

Shizune had muttered something about him just being late as usual. Itachi wondered if maybe Sakura had been due her promotion _before_ she was sent to Suna.

"And Naruto?"

"He tries to say he got over it but he's still upset, you can tell. He grumbles to himself a lot. He's not happy because he was only just promoted to chunin last spring and it seems that Sasuke will be promoted soon as well."

"Aww, he just feels left behind."

"You understand how he feels?"

Izumi pouted and puffed her cheeks out at him. He was only teasing her but she got embarrassed remembering that her original dream as a twelve year old was to retire as a chunin after she married Itachi and then raise their kids. It wouldn't have been a bad life, it would have been a pleasant life, but as they got older she felt as if she needed to prove herself. It didn't sit well with her that she remain a chunin while her reluctant best friend Shisui and her now husband Itachi were Anbu.

She also had a small revelation when she was seventeen that she wanted to put off bearing children for as long as she could. Sasuke as a child had traumatized her enough. Instructing genin was helping her get over it though and she was starting to become curious about becoming an Academy instructor.

She liked teaching kids, especially girls, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted one of her own yet. She prayed that if she did find herself with child that they would be more like Itachi in disposition. She didn't want to give birth to a child like Sasuke who hated her as soon as he laid eyes on her. His cute face had been deceiving.

"Is it wrong that I kind of want your mother to yell at the clan elders?"

"I hope she does. It will be payback for Shisui abandoning us back in July when she found out Sasuke and Sakura eloped. He'll have to witness all of it and even if he's not the target he'll definitely be scared."

"Aha! So that's why you're looking forward to today."

"Today should be very entertaining."

* * *

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sakura who were silently playing a game of Go. Sasuke had his eyes narrowed at the board and Naruto could have sworn he saw them swirl red at one point. He wished that Sasuke would just give up like he had. Neither one of them had ever been able to beat Sakura at board or card games since they were genin and she gave up on letting Sasuke win.

"Even I can tell that you've lost already, Sasuke. Can we play Go Fish or something instead? At least I have a chance at winning that," Naruto grumbled.

"Shut up, idiot." Sasuke placed a stone down which Sakura happily captured immediately. "Wait. What?"

"You're not actually focusing on the game are you? I could tell you were actually going to put your piece two spots away which would have only taken me two moves to capture anyway."

Sasuke stared at the board for a moment and then muttered out a curse.

"You're right you would have captured it anyway." Sasuke sighed, puffing his bangs up with a strong exhale. His hair was long enough to tie up in a half ponytail but he liked his bangs over his face a bit. Naruto had made fun of him saying that he and Sakura had similar hairstyles but he didn't like tying it out of his face and looking more like his mother when she tied her hair up.

"You guys are acting weird. Sakura-chan's schedule finally calmed down a bit and we're just sitting around." Naruto slid down to the floor from his seat on the couch to sit with them. "Does this have anything to do with the clan meeting today?"

"Yes, Naruto." Sakura collapsed sideways and sprawled out on the floor, no longer interested in playing. "Fugaku-san said we have nothing to worry about but it's still nerve-wrecking."

"He was so calm and my mother was _way_ too happy." Sasuke started packing up the stones. Sakura looked like she was bored already and playing with Naruto would have been a waste since he preferred different types of board games that weren't so traditional.

"Can we not talk about this? I'm stressed as it is." Sakura stretched and closed her eyes, trying to relax. After a moment of fidgeting, she opened one eye and peeked at Naruto. "So. What's going on with you and Hinata? You've been awfully quiet about your relationship lately which is unusual for you."

"Trouble in paradise?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow up at him as he placed the board and stones into Sakura's ottoman.

"As if! We're perfect!" Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked offended. The grumpy look on his face slid off and he looked worried. "Why? Have you heard anything? Did Hinata-chan say something to you?"

"No, stupid. Why do you think Sakura's asking?" Sasuke sighed and leaned back against the couch. Sakura scrambled across the floor and laid her head in his lap, snuggling against his thigh. "Have you ever seen me talk to Hyuga? Actually, I don't think I ever have. Are we sure she actually exists, Sakura? Or did Naruto make up a girlfriend so he wouldn't look like a lonely loser?"

"Hey!"

"Don't be mean. You've seen her plenty of times." Sakura slapped his leg playfully. "He has a point though Naruto. We're asking you because we hang out with _you_ and want to know what's going on in _your_ life. Not because we heard random gossip. Surely you know we care about you and want to know about what happens in your daily life, right?"

"Why else would we invite you to hang out with us when we could be perfectly alone, stupid?" Sasuke rapped his knuckles on the back of Naruto's head. Naruto shot him a glare but gave in with a sigh. He crawled over to where Sakura was lying down and laid with his head on her stomach.

"So I technically asked Hiashi for his permission to marry Hinata-chan. I haven't asked her yet but I asked him."

"Yeah. We heard. I think everyone in the Konoha Twelve knows." Sakura scratched at Naruto's scalp. Sometimes he still looked like a little kid, especially when he was out for affection, and she couldn't help treating him like he was one. Sasuke had scolded her once that if she kept spoiling him that they would never be rid of him and it would be the same situation with Shisui and Itachi and Izumi.

"But I don't think I'm necessarily ready for that. Like with you guys, yeah sure you've been married since we were like twelve─"

"That's not─" Sasuke tried to cut in but Naruto held up a hand to his face and continued.

"─but I think I'm over thinking too much about it instead of just _feeling_ it. I get all warm and fuzzy with her and I can picture coming home and seeing her there greeting me. But it feels like it's just a fantasy that I've been running through my head for a long time, even before I started having romantic feelings. A dream sort of. Like maybe I've been thinking about having my own family for so long that I'm focusing too much on it and I'm ruining what we have right now. Like I'm hyping it up to be something it isn't? And then Hinata-chan ends up miserable because I'm trying too hard to make our relationship something perfect and ideal. I don't think I'm explaining myself well."

"Everyone's relationship is different. You don't have to marry right away just because we did, Naruto. Sasuke-kun and I have known each other a lot longer too. You and Hinata are still in that getting to know each other phase because you're time was limited for most of your relationship and you always had Neji breathing down your necks and not letting you guys bond properly. No one expects you to get engaged, get married in like three months after that and then start popping out kids right away."

"You should go talk to her about what your feeling. Talking things out can bring you closer," Sasuke offered. It was such simple advice and something more expected from Naruto to be honest considering he loved talking usually.

"How would _you_ know about talking?" Naruto grumbled which earned him a glare from Sasuke.

"We talk all of the time Naruto. Just because we do it mostly when you're not around it doesn't mean that we don't." Sakura ruffled his hair. His hair was pretty soft like Hisui's who she missed since she left the cat with her father. Naruto swatted at her hand and sat up, eyes narrowed at the two of them.

"I see how it is. Having secret conversations without Naruto, huh? Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha over here don't need me. Who cares about Team Seven and their bond when you have your husband and wife thing going on." If it weren't for his playful tone Sakura would have smacked him.

"It's not like it would be new. We use to talk all of the time without you before. Ah. Maybe we have been married since we were twelve. And you were just the tag along."

"You're a dick, Sasuke."

"It helps counteract your dickless-ness I suppose."

The three of them jumped at the sound of Sai's voice from behind the couch. He was staring down at them, smiling innocently.

"How the hell did you get into the apartment?" Sasuke recovered first, annoyed at Sai's habit of sneaking up on them.

"The veranda. You should really lock it up, Ugly."

"I did," Sakura groaned. She was sure Sai had actually broken in instead of doing the normal thing and knocking. "Not that I don't want you around but why are you here? I thought you said you were busy."

"I was busy. Now I am not. I came to ask for help with my proposal."

Naruto started choking on his own spit and Sasuke thumped his back. Sakura frowned at the two of them and went to fetch Naruto a glass of water.

"This isn't a roundabout way to find out about my proposal is it?"

"I gave up on that mission a long time ago. But I would keep my guard up regardless. Miss Beautiful can be quite tenacious. No. I just believe it is the proper time."

Naruto gaped at him and pointed at him making grunting and whining noises at Sasuke. Sasuke made a disgusted face, annoyed that he knew exactly what Naruto was trying to convey with his weird sounds.

"Sai and Yamanaka are different from you and Hyuga as well. I'm surprised _they_ aren't married already. They practically _are_ each other."

"It had mostly to do with Dogbreath saying something along the lines of getting married young is like leaving the party early. I'm not sure exactly what party he is talking about but if Miss Beautiful no longer wanted to attend it I have no idea why I would stick around."

"First off, never listen to Inuzuka. He's dumber than Naruto."

"Can you go one second without insulting me?" Naruto whined after taking a gulp of water that Sakura brought back for him. "That wasn't even a good attempt at being backhanded. That was too direct."

"Secondly," Sasuke continued, ignoring Naruto. "He was just insulting couples because he's currently single. Always has been single. Ignore any advice he has unless it's about dogs. His only actual relationship with any women involve Hyuga and his mother and sister."

"Hmm. I should have taken that into consideration." Sai tapped his chin thoughtfully. "But yes I do believe I would like to marry Miss Beautiful."

"I can't imagine you two being with anyone else," Sakura finally interjected. She had brought in a fresh pot of tea and handed Sai a cup. She could practically feel the cold radiating off of his body from having been outside. "You two have been so close ever since you joined Team Kakashi."

"What are you doing this afternoon, Sai?" Naruto asked. "These two are going to ditch me later because they're spending the rest of the day with Sasuke's parents."

"I am going to see Ino after this actually."

"Ah! I have something for her, can you take it?" Sakura rushed into the kitchen. She came back with a small container and handed it to Sai. "I made her some pudding earlier. I tend to stress clean and make treats when worried."

"I should have had her come over to my place," Naruto mumbled.

"You can make pudding?" Sai blinked at her. "Can you teach me how to make some?"

"You like pudding?" Sakura asked confused. She was sure he tolerated sweets but didn't care that much for them.

"No." Sai smiled softly at the container, a dull pink dusting his cheeks. "It's Miss Beautiful's favorite."

* * *

Shisui stared blankly into space, petting the Shiba Inu in his lap. Izumi snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. Shisui snapped back into focus and looked down at the puppy confused.

"Where did I get a dog from?"

"That's Mimi. Itachi and I got her last week. Isn't she cute?" Izumi picked her up from his lap and cuddled her. Mimi lapped at her face, happier to be back in her owner's arms.

"When did I get here?" Shisui looked around Itachi's home. "Wasn't I at the meeting?"

"You got petrified and I had to bring you here because you had frozen up." Itachi came around the corner with take-out boxes. His eyes had a gleam to them that had Shisui frowning. Itachi found the situation amusing.

"Your mother is frightening. I thought I respected Fugaku before but damn. To deal with that...that man is more amazing than I thought."

"Women are different with men that they love," Izumi giggled. "But I don't doubt he gets pretty awestruck sometimes."

"I finally know where Itachi gets that silent deadly thing from." Shisui shuddered. "I have never felt more horrified from hearing such a serene voice."

"Please tell me you have this all recorded." Izumi looked around for the camera but it was nowhere in sight.

"Auntie destroyed it." Shisui swallowed deeply. "I didn't even see the shuriken coming but she got the camera right in the lens. I had it hiding in my flak vest too. Sometimes I forget she use to be a jonin since she's been retired ever since I was born."

"Aw, man." Izumi pouted. "That's it. I'm attending meetings too. I don't care what those old fools say."

"It was more informative than I originally thought it would be," Itachi told her, setting up the food he brought on the coffee table. "My mother knew things that I'm sure she shouldn't."

"Like what?"

"She shit on those guys' lives." Shisui started stuffing food into his mouth, staring into space. "They thought they were so important and that Sakura-chan was just a little nobody. Turns out when the new year comes, she's going to be sitting on the village council. Kakashi thinks the head of the hospital should be part of it considering the hospital gets affected by decisions made by the council. Something about representation being important."

"There really was no countering my father's arguments after that about how much more beneficial his new daughter-in-law was to him than anyone they could dig up." Itachi took Mimi away from Izumi so that she could eat. "And his closing argument was that he just wanted to make a point but he really didn't give a damn. And he just dismissed everyone and my parents left."

"It was a pretty good way to tell them to go fuck themselves without actually saying it," Shisui mumbled through the food in his mouth. "I doubt next meeting will be as exciting."

"I wouldn't be so sure. My parents didn't mention one other fact."

"What did they leave out?" Izumi asked feeding scraps of meat to Mimi from her own plate.

"Where Sasuke and Sakura are going to be living after the wedding."

* * *

Sasuke reached over and pushed up on Sakura's jaw, closing her mouth. He was equally as shocked but he hid it much better.

"I'm so confused." Sakura rubbed her temple with her thumb and index finger. "I thought you were building a house in the Uchiha district."

"Nope. I just made you think that." Mikoto patted the top of Sakura's head. She was in a very pleasant mood. It had been a good day for her. "Well, come on. Let's take a tour of the house."

Mikoto and Fugaku walked in ahead of the young couple. Sakura and Sasuke stood outside for a moment just admiring the exterior. The house was two stories and even had rooftop access. It was more modern looking than the traditional homes of the Uchiha district.

"The uchiwas are a nice touch." Sakura nudged Sasuke in the ribs playfully. "It's a lot bigger than I expected."

"I think that's my mother's subtle way of telling us to fill it up with kids," Sasuke grunted, ears turning red.

"Yeah, that's not happening yet. I want at least a few more years with just us." Sakura took his hand and tugged on it. "Come on. Let's see what your mother's been up to for the past few months."

"Aa." Sasuke nodded and let her lead him into their future home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _**hello everyone~ here's chapter twenty-six**_

 _ **Sorry if it seems more dialogue heavy than usual.**_

 _ **So, SasuSaku Month's coming up. It's my first year in the fandom so it's my first SSM. I plan to make some one-shots but not for every day. I want to focus more on TPOAM and KFT than making one-shots but I think it would be fun to participate. If I write any prompts I won't just post them on tumblr but on FanFiction as well.**_

 _ **Hopefully the next chapter gets out sooner than this one did.**_


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Sakura paused in the middle of chopping a daikon radish and sighed. She pinched at Naruto's wrist and he grumbled but let her go from his embrace. She continued chopping and Naruto shuffled over to where Sasuke was pulling out a package of meat from the fridge. He let out a dramatic sigh and dropped his head on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke chose to ignore him which was his mistake because soon enough Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist and snuggled his face into his shoulder like he had previously done to Sakura.

"What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing?" Juggling the pack with one hand, Sasuke palmed Naruto's face with the other and pushed him off.

"Pay attention to me!" Naruto's face squished up in an ugly pout. "You guys have been spending all of your time either working, with each other, or with Sai. What about Naruto!?"

"Naruto, we hung out just two days ago." Sakura passed by him in order to pull out the soy sauce and peanut oil they would need.

"Here. Make yourself useful and start the rice cooker." Sasuke dumped the bag of rice into Naruto's hands before heading back to the fridge to get the scallions and ginger out of the fridge. "Did we remember to get rice wine? We were out of it earlier this week."

"That was a physical, Sakura-chan! Doctor appointments _you_ schedule don't count."

"And you stuck around longer than necessary so it does so count." Sakura took the ginger and began to peel and mince it. "There should be mirin in the cupboard."

"Mirin? No, that's sweet. What about normal sake?"

"Well, we have it, but mirin will taste better."

"It will taste sweet not better," Sasuke argued but pulled out the mirin and the sake and measured out a teaspoon of each for the bowl of beef cubes he had just finished chopping. "How about some red chili peppers?"

"Now you're just being ridiculous." Sakura pulled out one small pepper from the produce drawer and moved it to her cutting board. She finely sliced it and set the pile of slices into a tiny cup. She handed it over to Sasuke and then rinsed off her knife. "On the side. Not in the dish."

Naruto rolled his eyes and set up the rice cooker. He shuffled over to the kitchen table and slumped into a chair watching as Sasuke and Sakura moved about the kitchen. The longer he watched them the more his face would scrunch up in frustration and annoyance. After another fifteen minutes he let out a frustrated groan.

"Naruto. Relax." Sakura turned the heat on low and let the pan of beef simmer. "We just need to wait about an hour or two now on this. You now have our undivided attention for the next hour."

"Speak for yourself." Sasuke pulled out a scroll and plopped himself onto the couch in Sakura's living room. "Is it too late to trade him in for a cat?"

"Oh, hush." Sakura sat next to him and leaned against his arm. "And if we get another cat it's likely that Papa is just going to kidnap that one too. He's gotten so attached to Hisui that I still haven't been able to bring myself to move her into the apartment. And it's been months!"

"I just noticed something weird," Naruto piped up. He moved to squeeze right next to Sakura and Sasuke, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a thoughtful manner. "You guys say 'we' a lot. Like _a lot_ , a lot. 'Do we have this' or 'did we remember to do that.' This is Sakura's apartment and her stuff but you act like it's both of yours. Why is that?"

"Huh. I never noticed before." Sakura propped her chin on her fist and stared ahead thoughtfully. After a beat she stretched her arms and leaned back against the couch. "It's not that important. What's his is mine and what's mine is his. That's our thing I guess."

"Your thing? That's so weird."

"I heard you talk to Hyuga in complete gibberish before," Sasuke scoffed, not bothering to look up from his scroll.

"You guys babytalk," Sakura turned on Naruto. "How are we the weird ones if you guys can't even carry on a conversation like proper adults? You guys are the weird ones."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue when there was a knock on the door. Sakura got up to answer it and he pouted at her back. He eyed the white circle of the Haruno clan and then turned to Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Will Sakura-chan have to wear your family crest after you guys get married?"

Sasuke looked up and blinked at him. He scowled at the innocent and curious look on Naruto's face.

"Knowing my parents, probably. Kaa-san probably has a bunch of kamon ready to be embroidered onto all of Sakura's clothes. I, personally, wouldn't say that she has to. If she wants to wear it, great. If she doesn't want to, fine."

"Do you want her to?"

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke went back to reading his scroll, his ears a bright shade of red.

Before Naruto could tease him about it, Sai and Sakura came into view. Sai was carrying a bouquet of rainbow colored roses.

"I knocked today."

"And despite whatever the hell is going on with what you brought with you that's still the weirdest thing you've done." Naruto got up and started poking at the odd assortment of flowers. Sai immediately smacked his hand and gave him an icy smile.

"Don't touch."

"Is that what you've been working on for your proposal?" Sakura examined the roses without touching them. Sai looked like he was ready to slap someone else if they dared to make contact with his flowers.

"I wanted to make something that represented the both of us. But black wouldn't have been a good idea so I used the dye Ugly's father uses to color his icing for cakes."

"Please tell me you just asked him where he gets the food coloring and didn't steal from my father."

Sai just smiled at Sakura. Choosing to refuse to take the bait and get mad, Sakura plopped herself on an armchair and curled up, exhausted. She had an easier time now with more hospital staff but she was still busy preparing everything for her small leave of absence to come in April for her wedding and then honeymoon.

Kakashi offered up Shizune to step in as acting director of the hospital and Shizune was more than happy to help out. Sakura gratefully accepted but she wanted to have the medic-nins that were going to be sent as part of envoy teams to Kumo and Kiri prepared before her wedding. Kakashi at first seemed hesitant to send ambassadors to Kiri but eventually gave in.

"Yes. I just wanted to show you guys how amazing I am first."

"So how are you doing it again?" Sakura recalled random visits from Sai in which he asked to be taught how to make pudding and how to prepare proper bentos. He had excellent knife skills and Sakura had to hold him back from trying to carve everything into elegant designs. He had a fondness for turning any vegetable he found into a flower.

Sakura wondered if Sai got the idea from how happy she got when Sasuke carved her apple slices into rabbits. She was sure Ino would appreciate all of the effort.

"A picnic."

"In this weather!?" Sakura was struck by the realization that perhaps she should have been more involved in the planning process.

"It's only a brisk chill."

"It's February."

"Sakura."

Sasuke caught Sakura's attention and very subtly he shifted his gaze to Sai's mid section. He had only recently began wearing a longer jacket top unlike Ino who still wore her midriff baring shinobi attire. She wore the same style of clothes all year round, regardless of the weather. As if the cold didn't affect her.

"Oh. Right." Sakura took her spot on the couch once more and laid her hands in her lap. "So what else? How are you going to bring it up?"

Sai just smiled his same unnerving smile and then grabbed Naruto's arm pulling him off of the couch.

"You're going to help me set up."

"What? No! Dinner isn't ready and I haven't eaten yet."

"I'll buy you ramen."

"Really?" Naruto brightened up but then gave Sakura and Sasuke a sheepish smile. "What were we having for dinner again?"

"Beef and daikon radish stir fry." Naruto started to fidget in place so Sakura sighed and waved for him to go. "I can use the leftovers for lunch tomorrow."

"Bye you guys!" Naruto all but dragged Sai towards the door.

"Wait!" Sakura called out causing them to pause and turn back toward her. "Aren't you going to tell me the rest of your plan? What are you going to say?"

Sai turned a faux smile towards Sasuke and then back to her.

"You never did tell me what happened with _your_ proposal."

And with that, he and Naruto left.

Sakura let out a groan and collapsed on the couch face down. Sasuke continued reading his scroll, absentmindedly patting her head. After a beat Sakura crawled onto Sasuke's lap and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Sasuke let her settle there and continued to read his scroll.

"I have a lunch date with your mother tomorrow. Will you be there?"

"I was told I wasn't allowed to come anywhere near the house around noon to two in the afternoon."

"Should I be worried?" Sakura pressed her face against Sasuke's shoulder causing her voice to come out muffled. Sasuke tossed his scroll aside and rubbed circles into her back with one hand, the opposite arm wrapped around her waist comfortable.

"At this point I don't think there's anything to worry about. She likes you way too much to scare you off with anymore crazy stuff."

"I won't be scared away that easily," Sakura muttered. There was a sleepy edge to her voice as she snuggled against Sasuke's body. "Besides, I love your mom. She's so nice."

"Don't fall asleep." Sasuke shifted so that Sakura slid off of his lap. She pouted but grabbed a throw pillow to hug instead. "I have to leave after dinner so don't fall asleep. I'm going to check on the beef."

"Can it be April already?" Sakura pressed her face against the pillow and let out a frustrated groan.

* * *

Sakura blinked in confusion at the items on Mikoto's kitchen counter. She looked towards Izumi who just shrugged.

"Mikoto-san?" Sakura lifted up a bag of melting chocolates and examined it. "Are we making something?"

"Yep!" Mikoto tossed the girls aprons to wear and tied up her long hair in a high ponytail. "I've never gotten a chance to make chocolates for Valentine's Day because, well, I have boys. So I figured we could all make some together since it's coming up. Don't worry Sakura-chan. I bought dark chocolate melts too. They're so bitter."

Mikoto made a pinched, grossed out face that left the girls giggling.

"Um, as much I like sweets….I suck at making confections." Izumi's mouth twisted to the side in a cute expression of frustration. Sakura patted her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"That's fine. You can't be good at everything. Just the other day, I caused my eggs to explode." Sakura scowled at the memory. "I was boiling eggs and forgot about them. I went to take a bath and when I got out I discovered that they had exploded and burned my pot. There wasn't any water left and I had to throw out the pot. That's not even the first time I've exploded eggs while boiling them."

Izumi snorted into her hands and Sakura shrugged her shoulders. Behind her, Mikoto was holding her sides trying not to laugh at loud at her daughter-in-law's mistake.

As they made their treats Mikoto shared stories about how Fugaku courted her. Izumi and Sakura laughed and cooed at how cute Mikoto was in her reminiscing and blushed greatly at the second hand embarrassment from how awkward their father-in-law was when he was younger.

"So I usually buy chocolates for Ita-kun. What do you do Sakura-chan if Sasuke-kun doesn't like sweets?"

Sakura turned bright red as Mikoto clasped her hands in front of her chest and waited eagerly for the answer. She was still learning a lot considering she didn't know that her son was in a relationship until the Summer past or if he even accepted any Valentine's Day gifts.

"I cultivate my own tomato plants and give him the fruits for Valentine's Day. It's the only sort of sweet thing he'll eat." Izumi burst into a fit of giggles at how fitting the gift was. "Until last year I gave them to him as giri gifts instead of honmei because I didn't want to push my feelings onto him. I was still wary considering what happened when we were thirteen."

"Wait. What happened when you were thirteen?" Mikoto narrowed her eyes at Sakura.

 _Uh-oh_. Izumi side stepped around Sakura so that she was the one closest to the back door.

"It wasn't anything," Sakura replied quickly, words rushing out. "I was just a little sad because I didn't get a White Day gift. It doesn't really matter. Only Naruto gets excited about White Day. I never realized how enthusiastic he got over holidays until after I gave him his first giri chocolate and Hinata gave him honmei chocolate. Unfortunately for her, Naruto didn't realize they were honmei chocolate at the time. Or the next time. He's a little slow."

Sakura bit her lip to try to stop talking. She never got over the rambling habit of hers whenever she was nervous.

"What do you mean you didn't get a White Day gift?" Now Izumi was the one narrowing her eyes. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Then why did Sasuke ask me about White Day? I could have sworn he was asking because he was going to give someone a White Day gift."

"Oh." Sakura frowned and went to take a peek at the cooling chocolate truffles.

She wasn't going to make a big deal about it. Sakura knew that Sasuke didn't have any feelings for her back then. He made it quite obvious with his comment about never accepting her flowers when she use to be overly affectionate, almost to the point of being obnoxious. It didn't matter if he had given someone else a White Day gift that year. He was _her_ husband now. Whatever happened in the past didn't matter.

That wasn't the opinion of the Uchiha women standing in the kitchen with her.

* * *

Sasuke was confused.

Itachi and Izumi came over for dinner and Izumi had snubbed him the entire night. She refused to speak to him and whenever he asked her something she ignored him. When he looked to Itachi for an answer his brother just shrugged as he was just as confused.

To make matters even stranger, his mother made all of the dishes sweet. Not just sweet but unbearably sweet and the only ones able to finish their meals were her, Izumi, and Itachi. Fugaku ate his meal calmly, Mikoto apparently having prepared for him his own food on the side so he wouldn't be affected by the sweet dishes.

"Kaa-san? Am I still being punished for eloping? That was almost a year ago." Sasuke stayed behind to help his mother to clear the table and wash the dishes. Both of the Uchiha women had refused to take any of the ones he used into the kitchen.

"Seven months ago. Not a year. And no I'm not mad about that." Mikoto snatched his bowls away from him and dried them. "I was just shocked to discover today that my son was a little player when he was younger, giving White Day gifts to other girls. But I guess I'll just have to get over that now that he's getting married."

"I'm already married. And I have no idea where you would get such a ridiculous idea? The only girl I ever─"

Sasuke cut himself off, heat creeping up his neck. There was no way he was going to talk about his feelings with his mother. Even if they should already be obvious to everyone considering he ran away from home to get married to the girl he quite possibly loved since he was twelve.

"Yes?" Mikoto looked up at her son, eyes twinkling with curiosity and slight mischief.

"Wait here."

Sasuke climbed up the stairs and turned into his room. He opened up the bottom drawer of his dresser and lifted the false bottom. Still lying in there for the past five years was the simple white box, slightly squashed on one side from when he roughly hid it away, that held the white ribbon he never gave to Sakura.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He went back down to the kitchen and held up the box to his mother.

"What's that?" Mikoto took the box and opened it. She pulled out the white ribbon neatly folded inside.

"The White Day gift that you're accusing me of having given to a girl that isn't my wife."

Mikoto blinked and then her cheeks pinked. Her eyes twinkled again in awe this time.

"Why didn't you give this to Sakura-chan?"

"The curse mark," Sasuke mumbled. "It was kind of a bad time."

Sasuke rubbed his shoulder, where the mark used to be. Luckily for him, Tsunade and Itachi found a way to get rid of it. It had stopped really affecting him long ago but the mark was awful to look and be reminded of the events of the Forest of Death and how it made him feel afterward.

"Well, now isn't a bad time."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the grin on his mother's face. She put the ribbon back in the box and handed it to him. She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels.

"I'll just look the other way and no one needs to know that you made a little visit to a certain pink haired wife of yours."

At that, his mother turned around, her back to him and began humming as she found random things to put to order in her already pristine kitchen.

"Thank you," Sasuke whispered and left through the back door.

* * *

Sakura let out a sigh as she slipped out of her work clothes and rummaged her drawers for her pajamas. She found an oversized shirt she had stolen from her father and slipped it over her head. Sakura patted the cherry blossom logo of his bakery on the left side of her chest and shuffled over to the corner of her room near the veranda to check on her cherry tomato plant. It was the perfect hiding place considering Sasuke never entered her room.

At least it was the perfect hiding spot until now.

Sakura felt his presence before he knocked on the sliding door. She opened up the door and he came in, closing the door behind him.

"Are you trying to compromise me now?" Sakura teased.

"Took care of that already didn't I?" Sasuke smirked down at her as her face turned bright red. "But no. I think we can wait another month or so."

"Speak for yourself," Sakura muttered, fully ready to lead her husband to her bed until he presented her with a thin, rectangular white box. "What's that?"

"Something long overdue. Open it." Sakura did as he asked and pulled out a white satin ribbon.

"Is this for my hair?" Sasuke nodded and Sakura tied it around her head, pulling back her bangs. She slid the bow knot so that it was under all of her hair instead of on top like when she was younger. "How do I look?"

For an answer Sasuke cupped her face with a hand and bent over to give her a kiss. Sakura sighed contently into it, glad for the affection.

"I love you too," Sakura giggled. "But what's it for?"

Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, ears a brilliant shade of red and he turned his face to the side, scowling slightly at the wall.

"White Day."

"Sasuke-kun. Darling. Valentine's Day isn't until tomorrow. Kind of an early jump on White Day don't you think? And you don't get me a gift remember? It's kind of really close to my birthday for that."

"It's for White Day five years ago."

"Oh."

"I never gave it to you. It's been sitting in my dresser since the morning of that day."

Sakura smiled to herself and fingered the tail of her ribbon. The past may not have mattered but it was sweet that Sasuke did in fact have a gift for her that day, despite what he had claimed.

"And you're giving this to me now because...?"

"I didn't want you to think that I gave someone else a gift for White Day and not you. Even if it was so long ago. I may not have been in love with you back then but you were still the only person I thought about."

Sasuke's cheeks were dusted with hot pink at his confession. Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his chest. She was full of so much love for her bashful husband. She pulled back and smiled sweetly up at him.

"I love you anata." Sakura stood on her toes and gave him a chaste kiss. "Do you really have to go back home tonight?"

"Yes. Or my mother will probably break down your door trying to get to me. I wouldn't be surprised if she's timing how long I'm here."

"Fine." Sakura pouted. "At least can I have another kiss then?"

Sasuke nodded but instead of kissing her lips, he kissed her forehead.

"You're a tease anata."

"Uh-huh." Sasuke smirked at his wife and then poked her forehead. It was time for him to go home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _**it's been a while, huh? *insert nervous laughter***_

 _ **Next chapter shouldn't take me three weeks to update but it will be a long chapter because, drum roll please, it will be the wedding chapter!**_


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Sakura finished labeling the last box of dishes and set it safely on top of her small dining table. Packing up her apartment had been a lot more tedious than she originally believed it would be, even with Ino and Sasuke's help. She hadn't realized how many possessions she had accumulated over the past few months.

"I just finished packing up the last of your clothes." Ino gently plopped the box she was carrying on top of a stack already sitting in the living room. "We should have just hired a team of genin."

"And lose the sentimental aspect of it all?"

Ino snorted and rolled her eyes at how goofy Sakura was acting. Now that they were done with all of the packing and after a while she would probably feel the same but at the moment she was just tired. Ino smiled to herself, so sure that helping and fighting with Sakura during her moving process would make a good memory to look back on when they were both older.

"Are you going to feel the same when you help me pack all of my junk from my parent's place in August when Sai and I get married?"

"Of course I will."

Sakura and Sasuke's wedding was only a week away and Sakura was busy putting her life away into boxes. Most of the furniture would follow her to her new home but some things like the bed she brought from her childhood bedroom would be returning to the Haruno residence.

"So the boys will be moving all of the stuff?" Ino asked as they moved around the apartment cleaning and dusting the now empty rooms.

"Naruto insisted on helping out and Sai wanted to be included so I left the boxes for them to deal with for when they get back from their mission. I moved the furniture myself and Sasuke and I took the fragile stuff."

"Good idea. Who knows what those two could break if Sai puts Naruto in one of his moods."

Sakura and Ino finished dusting the apartment and sweeping and then headed back to the Haruno home to have lunch with Mebuki. The Harunos were excited to have their daughter back home for a bit before she was to move into her new house. Kizashi even hid the paperwork she planned on working on even in her off time so that they could enjoy time as a family.

"There you two are!" Mebuki greeted them at the door and ushered them into the kitchen where she was setting the table for lunch. "I thought I was going to find you in the hospital again."

"Almost Auntie, almost." Ino giggled. Mebuki had asked her to keep an eye on her best friend who kept sneaking away back to work. Ino and Shizune kept threatening to call Sakura's mother and having Mebuki drag her daughter out of her own hospital and humiliate her by causing a scene.

"After lunch can you take some to the bakery for Papa?" Mebuki gestured to a bento sitting on the counter behind her and Sakura nodded. Luckily her mother understood that she hated sitting around and kept coming up with errands for her to run.

"So Auntie, what do you think of Sakura's latest Uchiha dilemma?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a dilemma." Mebuki crossed her arms in front of her chest and blew air out of her mouth so that her bangs fluffed up and then back down. "Her in-laws don't have a problem with her working so who cares about the rest of them."

Sakura beamed at her mother and took a bite of the sweet curry her mother prepared.

A few of the elder Uchiha men had an issue with Sakura refusing to step down as director of the hospital and retire as a shinobi when she got married. It was insulting that they thought she would give up everything she worked hard for to tend to the house. If there were kids in the picture she could see herself cutting back hours and splitting her time between working at the hospital and taking care of her children until they reached a certain age.

And what would be so wrong with _Sasuke_ being the one staying home with the kids and taking care of the house? He was perfectly capable of keeping a house clean. And out of the two of them he was the better cook and had more time than she did to prepare meals or to tend to household duties. Well, he had more time when he wasn't away on missions.

But that was a conversation to be had between her and Sasuke when they were ready to make plans for kids. At the moment they only had a brief taste of married life whenever they spent time together. It wouldn't be until they were actually living together that they would come across more problems as a couple that they could work on.

"So how are plans going for your wedding Ino-chan?" Mebuki asked as they were finishing up their meal.

"It would be going better if my parents would both agree with me on things." Ino tossed her hair over her shoulder and she pouted in frustration. "I'm interested in more western wedding customs. Like far, far western but Tou-chan wants something more traditional. He says a gown would probably be an odd choice of attire at a shrine. So he definitely has his heart set on Shinto traditions."

"Then what would you like?"

"A civil ceremony. Just something in a banquet hall."

Sakura's mouth quirked to the side as she tried to picture Ino's perfect wedding. It was very easy to see her in a stunning gown. It just seemed very Ino in comparison to a shiromuku or uchikake.

"What does your mother say?"

"She doesn't mind actually. She actually can't wait to shop for a gown."

"Nori-chan would get excited about that." Mebuki covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. She stood up and began to clear out the plates. Sakura tried to to help but her mother slapped her hand away. "I've got it."

Sakura's mother was oddly indulgent the past few days. Unlike her father who would randomly burst out into tears over his little girl growing up so fast, Mebuki was more subtle and would spoil Sakura every now and then as if it were the last chance she could get away with treating her daughter like she was still a child.

"I'm heading out! I'll be back soon." Sakura shouted to her mom as she left her home.

Mebuki watched from the window facing the street as Sakura and Ino walked down to the corner where they parted, going off in different directions.

"Itterashai..." Mebuki sighed. Even though her daughter wasn't moving far away and had already been living on her own for the past few months it wasn't until recently that it really clicked that Sakura wouldn't be coming back and calling their home "home" anymore.

There was a more permanent feeling of her being out of their house now that she was going to be officially married and living with her husband than when she lived in her apartment.

 _Maybe that's why Kizashi is so attached to the cat_ , Mebuki chuckled inwardly to herself. _He needs something to deal with the empty nest syndrome_.

* * *

Izumi frowned at the blue lump on her couch. She placed her hands on her hips and nudged at Sasuke's back with her foot.

"Really, Izumi? Really?" Sasuke turned and glared at her. He sat up and stretched out his long limbs and smoothed out the creases in his sleeveless, knee-length blue coat. Itachi and Izumi had recently bought him new shinobi attire that was reminiscent of his genin outfit and in place of expressing gratitude verbally he made sure to wear it when he visited their home.

He was visiting almost every day now.

"Why can't you be cute and call me nee-san?" Izumi grumbled. "And when are you going to stop crashing on my couch? You have your own home!"

"You know why I'm here."

Izumi grimaced and let Sasuke be. She returned to the kitchen so she could finish preparing dinner. Luckily she always made a lot of food just in case Shisui decided to drop in which he was prone to doing most nights.

Sasuke had been spending more time in his older brother's house because he was hiding from the chaos that was his own home. His mother's mood was more volatile than it had ever been as the days were counting down to Saturday when his wedding to Sakura would be held.

Sasuke couldn't say he was looking forward to anything about the day besides having his marriage finally recognized and being able to go home at the end of the day with Sakura. He would have preferred something small with just his immediate family and hers and Naruto, possibly even with Kakashi and Sai who would then bring Ino.

His mother had planned the event to be a lot more lavish than he thought was necessary. If it weren't for the fact that Sakura seemed excited about the event he would have asked to do away with the reception with all of the guests that had been invited.

"Tadaima." Sasuke heard his brother's clear voice as he entered the front door.

"Okaeri." Izumi's response came right after. From the sounds coming from the entrance he concluded that Izumi went to greet his brother and take his things from him.

"You're here again?" Itachi teased good humoredly. He ruffled his brother's hair and then continued to the bath that Izumi had prepared after a crow summon brought a message that Itachi would be arriving home on time.

Itachi was only in the bath for ten minutes when Shisui arrived, removing his hitai-ate and gear. He greeted Izumi and then Sasuke making his way to the bath as well. A second later he came back and sat down next to Sasuke, a red mark on his forehead.

"Did you really─?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"Don't you have your own place?"

"Don't you?"

Sasuke glared at Shisui and then crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning back against the couch.

"Shisui, really? You know he prefers his baths alone. Wait your turn." Izumi brought out tea and then frowned at Shisui. "You're covering my couch in dirt."

Sasuke tried his hardest not to frown. There were similarities in Izumi, Itachi, and Shisui's relationship to his and Sakura and Naruto's that were eerie at times. Perhaps it was time to help his best friend propose to the Hyuga girl so that he would be too busy to impose on his marriage life with Sakura.

"So what are you doing here?" Shisui turned to Sasuke after being reprimanded by Izumi.

"He's hiding from his mother and Naruto," Izumi answered for him. "Mikoto-kaa-san is a little overzealous at the moment and, well, I don't know why he's hiding from Naruto."

"He wants more male bonding time before the wedding. I don't think Sakura would be too happy if I electrocute him for being irritating."

"What, no bachelor party?" Sasuke glared at Shisui and let out a low growl. Shisui raised his hands in surrender. "Sheesh you're attitude's worse than Itachi. But then again, we couldn't even _find_ him before the wedding to throw him one. He kept disappearing before we could drag him away. You sure you don't want to go party? It's your last two days as a single man."

"I haven't been single in like a year and a half. And what's the point of a bachelor party? I'm actually looking forward to married life. Bachelor parties are just... _sad_."

"Definitely my favorite Uchiha after Itachi." Izumi beamed at him and ruffled his hair.

"Hey…" Shisui whined. "That's supposed to be me."

"Oh, be quiet. And go take a bath." Izumi cleared the tray of tea when Itachi entered the room. Shisui left, grumbling to himself.

"Did you ask him yet?" Itachi spoke softly to Izumi. She flushed pink and averted her gaze.

"Not yet. I wanted to ask him together. And not in front of Shisui."

"What's going on?" Sasuke looked back and forth between his older brother and his sister-in-law, confused by the nervous looks they were giving him.

"We wanted to know if you could ask Sakura-chan to make an appointment for Izumi before you two left for your honeymoon. We could always wait until you come back as well, no pressure. We just would rather she see Sakura-chan, and only Sakura-chan, as soon as possible."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not necessarily," Izumi assured him. "It's just that I received an injury on the last mission with my genin squad that's a little concerning. It seemed to have healed properly but…"

"We are planning for kids in the future and want a second opinion, a more _trustworthy_ opinion. From a medic that's more confident that we shouldn't have any issues when the time comes."

Sasuke's eyes went wide. Izumi's eyes turned downcast as he looked at her. He looked away when Izumi's hand went to her right side, cradling her abdomen protectively.

"I'm sure Sakura wouldn't mind seeing her tomorrow. I'll ask."

"Thank you. And don't let anything slip to Okaa-san yet. She shouldn't have to worry about anything if it turns out to be nothing."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, eyes shifting over to look at Izumi one more time. He knew his brother and his parents wouldn't care if it turned out that Izumi couldn't have children. The problem would be with the elders.

"Enough with that face," Izumi snapped at him. "Let's go eat. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. I have faith that Sakura-chan will have good news for me."

She dropped her frown and gave him a reassuring smile. Sasuke hoped that Sakura could help her. He was sure there would be no better or more deserving people to become parents than Itachi and Izumi.

* * *

Sakura was up at dawn on the morning of her wedding. Considering she was up late into the night reading, she didn't expect to feel so refreshed after what seemed like an hour nap. After only getting small hours of asleep with her work hours at the hospital she usually felt groggy.

"Mrow…" Sakura felt small movements on her bed and then her vision was blocked by white as Hisui sat her body right in front of her face.

"Good morning, Hii-chan." Sakura stroked her cat absentmindedly for a moment, listening to the tiny vibrations of her purring. "I'm getting married today. Again."

Sakura giggled and hopped out of bed. She was going to take the chance to take a walk before everyone stormed to her house to whisk her away to get ready for the day.

* * *

Mikoto frowned when she noticed the yawn Sasuke tried to hide. She should have made sure that Sasuke had gone to bed on time the night before. It was morning but not so early that he should have been tired. It was eleven and he should have been bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Sasuke went to yawn again and Mikoto cleared her throat. He blinked into awareness and glanced over at his mother who had her eyes narrowed at him, red eyes gleaming.

 _Don't embarrass me in front of our in-laws_ , she mouthed to him. Sasuke immediately straightened up and looked toward the door of the waiting room, where Sakura and her parents would walk through to meet with them before they made their walk to the shrine in line with the priests and shrine maiden.

Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno came in dressed in a suit and an ornate kimono. Sakura came in afterward and Mikoto's breath caught in her throat. She was wearing her shiromuku and the contrast with her pale pink locks made her look ethereal. Mikoto took a sideways glance at her son who remained impassive but was given away by the redness of his ears.

 _She's just too pretty_. Mikoto smiled softly to herself. She couldn't wait to see her in the iro uchikake that was made for the wedding. Mikoto was sure she would look even more splendid and that there would be an even more noticeable reaction from her son.

The ceremony was a blur. Mikoto could remember following the procession to the shrine and the offering the couple gave. She blanked during the reading of Norito and soon enough Sasuke and Sakura were drinking their sips of sake. Mikoto could still hear how clear and steady her son's voice was as he made his oath in front of the gods.

Soon enough she was drinking sake alongside her husband, Itachi, Izumi, and the Harunos, symbolizing the strong bond between their families with this union.

Mikoto took her bow with the rest of the party, vision blurring with tears. Her youngest, her last child, was now wed. Another moment in life now past.

* * *

Sakura giggled as she watched Naruto running after Kiba who had just narrowly missed spilling his drink on Hinata's cream and gold furisode. Ino shrieked at the two of them, taking her task of wrangling the troublemakers seriously.

"This is probably the most boisterous any Uchiha wedding has ever been." Sasuke winced when he saw Rock Lee fall into a handstand. TenTen pleaded with him to stand normally. Neji just looked in the opposite direction, pretending that whatever his teammates were doing wasn't happening. "Who invited Team Gai?"

"Your mother probably did. Come on. We like them."

"Do we?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Neji who just smirked at him when he noticed someone staring and turned away.

"Relaaaax." Sakura clung to his arm and rubbed her hand on it soothingly. "You know the Hyugas were invited because of Naruto."

"Hn."

Mikoto had taken the time to approach Hyuga Hiashi and invited him to attend the wedding. She wanted the two families, even if it was just the head families, to get along for the sake of Naruto and Hinata. Although Iruka took on the role of Naruto's father figure, the Uchihas were more like his family after he was placed on Sasuke's genin squad. Getting along with his future in-laws was the least she could do for her late best friend.

"It's funny how nervous Tsunade-shishou is making your aunts and uncles."

"Well, you wouldn't expect to see a Senju at an Uchiha wedding."

"I'm glad your mother invited her. It wouldn't be right if she wasn't here." Sakura smiled softly in the direction of her parents and Tsunade who was laughing louder than usual at something Kizashi said.

"Who's that with Akimichi?"

"Hm?" Sakura looked for Choji and found him by a table loaded with sweets, a pretty girl with red hair and dark skin accompanied him. "Oh. Karui-san. She's one of the Kumo ambassadors. Shikamaru introduced them and had Choji escort her around the village. Ino hoped they would hit it off."

"Weird how everyone's pairing off…"

"Hello, lovebirds!" Ino hooked her arm with Sakura's and pulled her out of Sasuke's reach. "I'm going to borrow the wifey, okay? The girls want a photo of just us."

Sasuke sighed and nodded even though Ino didn't care for his permission and whisked his bride away. Sasuke kept his eye on the back of Sakura's uchikake, an uchiwa proudly displayed. His mother was definitely responsible for that.

"What are you doing all by yourself?" Naruto popped up by his elbow. Sai sidled up next to them, a pleasant smile on his face. They appeared more often now, especially with his engagement to Yamanaka Ino.

"Aren't you suppose to be Hyuga's escort?"

"Ino dragged her into the group photo for the girls."

"It was...nice of your family to include her," Sai's brow wrinkled thoughtfully as he tried to find the right words.

"Oh yeah, we need to find Kaka-sensei so we can take a team photo." Naruto's head whipped side to side as he tried to look for their former sensei. "This is probably the nicest we will all look when we're all together."

"I'm surprised you still have your entire suit on." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his friend's attire. For once he wasn't in orange and instead was wearing a cream and gold tie that matched Hinata's furisode.

"I'm maturing, my friend. I'm maturing."

"Also I might have adhered his suit jacket to his vest and button down shirt," Sai muttered, only loud enough for the three of them to hear. Naruto pouted, put off by Sai's betrayal.

"There's my favorite men," Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto in a hug. Sai reluctantly accepted a hug after being reassured that no it was not cheating if he hugged a female friend. "Where's Kaka-sensei? We should take a photo."

"Right behind you." Kakashi poofed to their side. "Anything to get away from the toddler. Cute as Mirai may be, children have such grubby fingers. Who's taking the photo?"

"I'll do it!" Shisui rushed over them, a camera in hand. "I've been waiting to use this."

"This can't end well," Sasuke muttered.

"Wait, where's Yamato-taichou?" Sakura stood on her toes and looked around.

"Couldn't make it unfortunately. Mission." Kakashi snapped his book closed and shoved it into his suit jacket. "We should get this over with. It looks like the parents of the bride want photos as well."

"Do you think maybe─?" Sakura attempted to use her sweet voice when she wanted to get her way.

"No can do Sakura-chan." Kakashi patted the top of her head and she pouted.

"But it's their wedding day, Kaka-sensei," Naruto chirped. "It could be your gift to them."

"I'm not taking off my mask you guys."

Naruto and Sakura groaned and Sasuke snorted at their reaction. He knew it wasn't likely that Kakashi would show them what was under his mask with that as the reason. They would have to find another way to figure out what he was hiding underneath.

"Alright everyone, get closer" Shisui readied his camera. "Can you at least try and stand closer to Naruto, Sasuke?"

The two of them grumbled but did as they were told. It took a while for Naruto's pout to go away but soon enough he was giving everyone a mega-watt smile.

 _Why does this seem familiar?_ Sakura brushed her hair to make sure it was smooth and smiled brightly for the photograph.

* * *

"They're so sweet." Izumi giggled. She and Itachi were watching the younger shinobi from afar. "This is kind of more pleasant than what I expected considering all of the fuss."

"I think it's only going smoothly _because_ of all of the fuss. I'm so glad my mother kept it to three courses instead of the seven she originally planned on." Itachi shook his head slightly, patting his wife's hand which was tucked into the crook of his arm. "This would have just been a huge dinner at that point."

"I can't believe Shisui got another camera."

"He got two." Izumi's jaw dropped and Itachi chuckled at the look of shock on her face. "He tried to fix the other one and apparently the warranty covered the damage and replaced the camera."

"Too bad about the video."

"Oh, I forgot to mention that part. He thinks the memory card might have survived the incident."

"Yes!" Izumi clapped her hands together excitedly. "I really wanted to see the meeting."

"Well, how about we go see the 'newlyweds' right now? I kind of want a photo too."

"You just want to bother your brother. You know he's tired."

"Ah. You know me so well."

* * *

Sakura threw herself on the bed face down. She picked up a corner of the duvet and rolled until she was wrapped in it.

"Uh, Sakura? Maybe you should change first?" Sasuke sighed and unwrapped her from her bundle. She whined but sat up and untied her obi.

"So many layers." Sakura slipped off the iro uchikake until she was only in the white underlayer. "But worth it huh? I looked very pretty today, right?"

"Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer," Sasuke muttered to himself as he helped her fold up her kimono to be put away.

"Want some help?" Sakura asked, sliding Sasuke's haori off of his shoulders. "I'm so sleepy."

"It's probably from staying up all night looking through texts," Sasuke teased. He flinched when Sakura pinched his side but then smirked when he saw her face flushed red.

"Like I told you this morning when we met─" Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. She seemed somewhat smaller with her hair down and dressed in all white "─I just want to be able to help Izumi as much as I can. I don't do OB/GYN cases normally."

"But she should be able to conceive right?"

"Oh, definitely!" Sakura nodded her head enthusiastically. "You only need one healthy ovary which she has. She may need a little help, which I'm looking into, but whenever she's ready she should be able to conceive just fine."

"Thanks for helping them, by the way." Sasuke stroked her hair and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"It's kind of my job, remember? I'm a medic." Sakura laughed good humoredly. "Besides," She laid her head against his chest and drew a circle on it with her finger, "they're my family too. I want to help them if I can."

"We should take a bath," Sasuke murmured into her hair.

"How about we just go to sleep?" Sakura let go of her embrace and turned to rummage through her overnight bag and pulled out her pajamas. "This is kind of what I've been waiting for all day."

"Even more than our ceremony?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, only teasing in his questioning.

"Okay, that was actually beautiful. I'm glad your mother insisted," Sakura mumbled, cheeks bright pink. "What I meant was that I was looking forward to this."

Sakura gestured to the dimly lit room and Sasuke's eyebrows just furrowed in confusion.

"It's night time. No one's bothering us and I can sleep next to my husband." Sakura let out a dreamy sigh. "We can lie next to each other, curled up, when we're tired. Doesn't that sound nice? Just to lay close to each other, maybe with our limbs all tangled up, and just enjoy each other's company as we're lulled to sleep by the sound of each other's hearts beating and each other's breathing."

"Yeah that sounds nice." Sasuke smiled softly at her. It was so like her to romanticize the act of sleeping in the same bed. "So let's just do that. Hm, _yome_?"

Sakura nodded her head and peered up at him through rosy lashes. She became unusually bashful although they were just going to be innocently sleeping next to each other. They finished dressing for the night and slid under the covers. Sakura reached over and held Sasuke's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I forgot to mention the best part," she whispered, eyes already shut.

"What's that?"

"When I wake up, as soon as I open my eyes, you'll be here anata."

Sasuke pulled Sakura closer so that he could lay an arm over her waist, curling his fist into her night shirt. Sakura sighed contently and snuggled closer wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Good night, Sakura."

"Good night, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _**Hello everyone.**_

 _ **It took a while. I was busy with work and then I got sick and was in so much pain I went against my doctor's instructions and took pain killers. I was knocked out for a whole day. So this chapter was pretty much all written yesterday.I really wanted the update to be today, July 23rd.**_

 _ **I wanted to make this more family oriented. So I focused on the Harunos a bit and then the ceremony more than the reception. More feeling than fanfare.**_

 _ **(who knows, maybe I'll come back and add things...maybe. But for now I'm content.)**_

 _ **I know that we don't know if Mikoto had the sharingan or not but I gave it to her anyway.**_

 _ **And sorry...no wedding night fun...this is my fluff fic.**_

 _ **Like I said before that this fic wouldn't end until Sarada made her appearance so there are still many chapters to come...hope you don't mind how long this is going lol**_

 _ **I can't promise when the next chapter will be. I hope it's soon…**_

 _ **Happy Birthday Sasuke~**_


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Important:**

 **read Author's Note at the bottom after reading**

 **do not skip it please**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

There was something missing when Sasuke woke up. Something soft and small and usually having stolen all of the blankets. He sat up and looked around the room in the ryokan. His brows furrowed in slight annoyance at the lack of pink.

Sasuke and Sakura were in the middle of their honeymoon in Yugakure. A trip to a hot spring resort his mother had planned out as a romantic getaway.

The destination was a good choice for the couple. It was relaxing which Sakura needed after being so busy with the hospital and the hot springs were known to have medicinal qualities which fascinated her.

Sakura had spent their first week spending time with Sasuke but it seemed as they rounded to their final few days, the need to research was so strong that she refused to relax any longer.

"Have you seen my wife?" Sasuke asked a nakai that had come in to put away the futon and set up the table for lunch.

"Not since breakfast, sir," she replied with a giggle.

Sasuke nodded and when she left changed into a fresh yukata. He meandered to the front hall and approached the elderly front desk clerk when he didn't spot Sakura.

"Did my wife leave me a message?"

"Yes, she did." The front desk clerk giggled and then reached into a cubby behind her marked with Sasuke's room number. She handed him a note with one last giggle that caused Sasuke to frown.

It was on his way out that he heard a chorus of giggles behind him and squeals.

"They're so young and cute. He keeps saying 'my wife'. I just want to pinch his cheeks!"

Sasuke walked away even faster.

* * *

Sasuke found Sakura along the paths to the different hot springs surrounding the ryokan. She had been walking toward him, carrying a wide basket full of glass vials.

"You're not bringing _water_ back to Konoha are you?"

"Not water specifically but the mineral content. I'm going to examine them and find out what's in them."

"Workaholic."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. He and the rest of Team Kakashi were always teasing her about that.

Sasuke grabbed the basket to help her carry them. She didn't need his help but she still accepted it. She found it cute when he attempted to do anything chivalrous in public. He would get all flustered and his ears would turn red. She would never comment on it because then he would scowl, which would come out as a pout, and then she would just think he was cute again and Sasuke usually knew that she was thinking that.

Sakura's stomach let out a loud growl. She had a very light breakfast hours ago and had been so preoccupied with talking to local healers about the springs that she forgot about eating. Sasuke snorted through his nose at the sound and Sakura pouted, cheeks turning hot pink.

"Let's go have lunch."

"Sounds like a good idea," Sakura mumbled. "We should go shopping for everyone's souvenirs later. I wonder how they're all doing…"

* * *

"Shisui is pretty good with a camera, huh?"

Izumi was helping her mother-in-law with framing photos to hang up for the newlyweds. They were hoping to surprise them when they came back from their honeymoon.

"He's okay." Mikoto shrugged. She secretly thought she was a lot better even without the advantage of modern technology. "I prefer my photos."

"Yours?"

Mikoto opened up an album and started to flip through pages. Izumi quickly looked around trying to figure out where she pulled it out from. One of these days someone was going to have to figure out how Mikoto was doing that.

"Oh! This one is good. They were so cute when they were thirteen."

Izumi looked at a photo that Mikoto was pointing at. Naruto was spread eagle on the ground, mouth gaped open in his sleep. Sakura was leaning against a tree reading a book. Sasuke was leaning against the same tree fiddling with a kunai. She gushed when she noticed Mikoto captured the moment Sasuke was sneaking a glance at Sakura and her book.

"How did you even get this one?"

It was a photo of Sakura and Sasuke under another tree. They must have been fourteen because Sakura appeared to be healing him. The reason Izumi was so shocked was because it taken from above. As if the photographer was sitting in the tree.

"Candid photos are the best."

 _Note to self: talk to Mikoto about how excitable she gets before Ita-kun and I have kids._

"I miss when they were small and cute!" Mikoto squealed. "I wish we gave them their own camera before their honeymoon."

"I think they would be too busy to be taking photos." Itachi had just come in with lunch, Shisui trailing after him.

"Or they would take photos we wouldn't want to see," Shisui joked prompting Izumi to pinch his arm for the crude implication.

"What are you even doing here Shi-chan?"

"Free food, duh." Shisui snatched up a container from the bag Itachi had been carrying.

"It's lunch time? I should get going then. I told your father I would be dropping off lunch."

"Go ahead. These two can help me finish up." Izumi hesitated in handing back the album to Mikoto. She wanted to look through it more. Mikoto smiled at her knowingly and pushed it gently back, giving permission for Izumi to keep it for a while.

"What's that?" Shisui reached for the album but Izumi kept it out of the reach of his grubby hands.

"You're going to dirty it. Look with your eyes not your hands."

"Okay, mom."

Izumi shot Shisui a glare and opened up the album for him to view the photos.

"Hey, that's us!"

At the excited statement, Itachi took a seat by his wife, curious as to what they were looking at.

The photograph was of the three of them sitting on the dock. Izumi was offering Itachi a piece of dango and Shisui had taken the opportunity to eat the offering straight from the stick. Izumi had her mouth wide open in shock.

Itachi remembered that day. He and Izumi were only 16 at the time. It wasn't easy to pinpoint when exactly his relationship with Izumi had changed to one with a romantic nature but he was sure that there had been a silent agreement at that point that they were together.

"Do you think your mother still has the negatives? I would love copies of some of these for our house."

Itachi shrugged but made a mental note to ask his mother later.

"Oh this was a good day," Shisui snickered and pointed at a photo in the lower corner of the page. "Your brother's eyes looked like they were about to burst out of his head that day."

Itachi tilted his head and examined the photo Shisui had pointed out. Team Seven were waiting for Kakashi at their usual waiting spot. It must have been summer since Naruto wasn't wearing his usual orange sweats and Sasuke was wearing a sleeveless version of his usual high neck shirt.

He had his face buried in the high collar but the tips of his ears were red. The obvious culprit for his embarrassment was a younger Sakura wearing a midriff bearing outfit.

"That was one of her cutest outfits!" Izumi squealed. "I need a copy of this one. I always forget that Naruto use to be the shortest. But then again it was kind of obvious that Sakura would eventually be overtaken in the height department."

"Didn't he walk around with his chin up for a while thinking it would make him look taller?"

"Yeah until he ran into Sasuke way too many times and they got into a fight about it."

"That's one kid I didn't see getting so tall." Shisui shivered in discomfort. "I keep expecting him to come up to my waist still but then I'll see him and he's taller than me and married now."

"Speaking of marriage…" Izumi's voice took on a coy tone. "When are you thinking about setting down, Shi-chan?"

"What, are you trying to get rid of me?" Shisui narrowed his eyes playfully at her. "You're not trying to set me up with one of your friends are you? I like being a bachelor so no thanks."

"Told you so." Itachi flashed a small triumphant smirk at Izumi who puffed out her cheeks in frustration. It wasn't fun being wrong.

"But what about kids? Don't you want any?"

"Not really? And come on, can you really picture me with kids? There's so much I could fuck up."

"True…" Izumi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll have to see how you do with any of Sasuke's kids before letting you near any of mine."

"Okay I'm not _that_ bad. And there's no way I would do anything to one of his kids and risk their mother breaking me apart and putting me back together again just to break me apart again."

"Is that what she threatened you with before?" Itachi raised an eyebrow at his cousin. The memory of Shisui's fear was still fresh on his mind. It was highly amusing considering Shisui was an Anbu.

"She's a medic-nin. _She can do that_."

Izumi rolled her eyes and excused herself from the table. She wandered down the hall toward Sasuke and Sakura's bedroom, curious as to how much of their stuff was still boxed up.

It appeared that Mikoto and possibly Mebuki had used some of their free time to unpack some of the more necessary items. Izumi crossed her arms in front of her chest and nodded to herself as she counted up all of the unopened boxes.

"Hey, guys?" She called out to her favorite people as she made her way back to the kitchen. "What are you doing today?"

* * *

Sasuke had to hold back from laughing at his exhausted wife. As soon as they stepped through their entrance way she collapsed on the first couch she saw.

"My parents probably expects us to go see them and tell them we're back."

Sakura lifted her face from the couch cushions and glared at him.

"Well, _my_ parents were kind enough to tell us we could wait to see them the next day."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took their bags to their room. He frowned when he noticed their unpacked boxes were missing. He opened up a few drawers and saw that everything had been put away.

"Sakura, did you give our mothers keys?" Sasuke went back into the living room to talk to her and found her staring at the wall. "What are you looking at?"

Sasuke stood behind her and looked over her head at the brand new frames on the wall. Sakura was standing in front of a photo from their wedding of their immediate families and Naruto.

"I feel very loved," Sakura murmured. "Don't you?"

Sasuke glanced at the other photos. They were all scenes from their childhood and some from when they were older with their friends and family.

"Aa," he agreed.

Very loved indeed.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Sorry for the delay. I have been busy because of work and I have fallen ill. I wasn't sure why I was feeling so shitty all of last month but seems like my health took a dive again (I was even in the ER three times already this month if that's any indication of how fucked up my life has been lately).**_

 _ **So...some things have come up regarding this fic and I must address them. So it has come to my attention that there are people stealing my fics. As a heads up you will only ever find my fics on FF unless I say otherwise which will probably never change.**_

 _ **I almost deleted this fic because of that incident. If you see my fics anywhere else please report it and find a way to take them down. I will refuse to write chapters if my fics keep getting stolen.**_

 _ **Another thing that will make me refuse to write are demands for updates. Guys, I love when you guys get excited for updates but, come on, can you please be decent people? There's a proper way to ask and quite a few of you are rude and it's discouraging. If I can't update I can't update…**_

 _ **Please remember that I am a person and you should treat me as one. My health is more important than fanfic and it would be nice if you guys shared the same sentiment.**_

 _ **To my new readers: welcome! I'm so glad you found my fic and are enjoying it. I hope you continue to enjoy TPOAM despite its new crazy update schedule.**_

 _ **I know this chapter is severely short but I wanted to get something done as we now transition to the marriage life portion of TPOAM.**_

 _ **See you guys next time.**_


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter 30**

Sasuke had barely closed his eyes when he heard the front door open. He kept them closed as he listened to the light padding of Sakura's feet across the floorboards. There was no creaking of the steps as the house was new but counting the seconds after her entry into their home, he could tell exactly where she was as he was accustomed to her nightly routine by now.

"You're awake."

It wasn't a question. Sasuke opened his eyes and turned to face his tired wife. She let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I told you to stop waiting up for me."

"I wasn't," he lied.

Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest and cocked a hip as she stared at him pointedly. They stared at each other for a moment before Sakura sighed and headed to their en suite.

After Sakura finished her bedtime routine, she pulled back the duvet on her side of the bed and settled, facing Sasuke. He was already turned to face her as he had watched her getting ready for bed.

"We talked about this Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke wrapped his arm around her waist and Sakura allowed herself to be pulled toward him.

"I don't know what you're talking about as I wasn't waiting up for you."

"At least you weren't waiting outside the hospital," Sakura murmured, as she snuggled into his warmth.

Adjusting to each other's schedules was a challenge, especially when Sakura worked extra hours into the night.

They had gotten into a comfortable routine that worked for them for a few months. It had worked for them until Ino had submitted an evaluation on the psychiatric care provided at the hospital along with a binder full of plans for her wedding. It had kept Sakura busy most of the week both at home and at the hospital.

"You need a day off."

"I can handle it."

"Do you even know when was your last free day?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose in thought. It couldn't have been that long ago…

A month ago. She hadn't taken a day off for a whole month.

One her last day off Sakura had used it to celebrate Mikoto's birthday. For someone that liked to make a fuss over events, her mother-in-law was they type of person that treated her own birthday as any other day.

"Well what about you."

"What about me?"

"Part time at the police force while still going on missions. When was the last time _you_ had a day off?"

"Yesterday. You would know that had you been home at all the past few days."

Sakura sat up, knocking him away from her.

"Are you seriously going there?"

Sasuke sighed and sat up. He smoothed his hands over her upper arms and then pulled her toward him. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him but allowed him to lay her back down and pressed her back to his chest.

"It just won't be the end of the world if you take a break. Do you even stop to eat?"

Sakura huffed and grumbled under her breath.

He was right that she would eventually need a break. She was running herself ragged trying to help everyone. But that wasn't something that Sakura was going to admit to.

At least not out loud.

* * *

Sakura was in the middle of making wedding favors with Ino during her break when the door to her office burst open.

Naruto strolled in with Choji and Shikamaru reluctantly following behind them. Naruto plopped himself on the ground between the two women and examined one of the favors. Choji took up a spare chair and Shikamaru sat down in front of the pile of supplies with a sigh.

"What's going on?" Ino asked, brows pulled forward in confusion.

" _Someone_ ," Shikamaru stared pointedly at Naruto, "reminded us that Sakura's not your only friend. And that we should be helping you just as much."

"Sai might have also mentioned _someone_ paying for lunch before he went to his tux fitting," Choji added. Naruto laughed nervously and picked up another favor.

"So, you girls gonna teach us how to make these?"

"I will," Ino chirped. "But Sakura has other things to do."

"What?" Sakura's jaw dropped. Ino just snatched the baby blue ribbons from her hands.

"Go take a break," Ino whispered to her. "You look like a tanuki."

Sakura scowled but knew she was right. She was barely sleeping due to working overtime and assisting Ino.

It didn't help that she used any free time to do research in order to help Izumi with her fertility complications.

Sakura did not work in obstetrics but it was a favor asked of her by someone dear to her.

Actually working on it was a slow process. Itachi and Izumi wanted privacy in this matter so instead of consulting a doctor in the field she was training in the OB/GYN department. The more informed she was the less she had to run by a more experienced doctor.

 _A break...a break would be good…_

* * *

Following Sasuke down the hall, Izumi wasn't that surprised that he knew exactly where his wife was.

Sakura was late to their first consultation. She found Naruto in a chokehold as Yamanaka Ino yelled at her teammates in Sakura's office.

She was about to ask a nurse for help finding Sakura when she found Sasuke walking down a hall. He caught her eye and then just nodded his head in a gesture for Izumi to follow him.

"This is her favorite room to take a nap in," Sasuke explained when he opened the door to one of the rooms. On the exam table there was a lump of blankets.

Izumi stifled a giggle as she watched Sasuke gently shake the lump. Sakura's pink head poked out of the blankets and then she stretched, clawing her way out of her tangle of blankets.

"Lunch." Sasuke dropped a bento into Sakura's hands. "Izumi says she doesn't mind you eating during her appointment."

Izumi glared at the back of his head. Of course she didn't but he didn't have to decide that for her!

"I'll come by with dinner later."

"What? But━"

"Compromise." Sasuke cleared his throat and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You don't have to take a day off but at least take more breaks."

Sasuke left right after that, not even bothering to give Izumi a second look. The tips of ears were red.

"Trouble in paradise?" Izumi asked cheekily. Sakura narrowed her eyes at her but the apples of her cheeks burned pink.

"Have you ever...had a fight with Itachi where you knew he just wanted what was best for you but at the same time he should respect your wishes?"

"Hmm...well I guess," Izumi took a seat on the examination table next to Sakura, "this would be it."

"I'm sorry but I'm confused." Sakura's brow wrinkled in confusion. Didn't Itachi want kids?

"I've been trying to get pregnant for a while now and it's been stressing me out." Izumi let out a deep exhale. "Itachi doesn't care about having kids. With the exception of Sasuke I should have realized he never actually liked kids. He tried to convince me that it wasn't important and even brought Mimi home to try and change my mind. I was furious."

"But you love Mimi."

"Okay, but what kind of heartless person would take a look at that puppy's face and turn her away?"

Izumi scooted back so she could pull her knees toward her chest.

"I was upset because I felt like he wanted me to just do as he wished. Before we got married and his mother was trying to get us to finally settle down, we said we weren't interested in having children. I thought it was just one of those things he said to rile Mikoto up. I didn't think he actually didn't want children."

Sakura wrapped an arm around Izumi's shoulders. Growing up, Izumi and Itachi were a beautiful and perfect couple in her eyes. She had originally felt silly asking if they had problems but now she just felt ashamed to have put them on some sort of pedestal.

"After my injury it just got worse. When he was trying to be supportive I got mad and yelled at him, telling him that he got what he wanted. No children. But that wasn't it."

"Itachi just didn't want me to go through so much trouble because he didn't want me to keep getting hurt when I couldn't get pregnant. Sometimes he still acts like he doesn't want me to go through with it. But he trusts that you can help us and he respects the fact that I want to do anything if it gives me the chance to have my own child."

"Huh. I just thought━"

"That we never fight?" Izumi's eyes gleamed with mirth. Sakura shrugged sheepishly in response. "Every couple has their issues."

"I guess Sasuke and I are going through something similar. He thinks I work too much and I, well…"

"Have a problem with wanting to help everyone despite what it may do to your own health?"

Sakura sighed. This wasn't new. She had always been a workaholic, Sasuke even accused her of it every now and again. It wasn't as if she didn't work herself this hard before they were married.

But that was _before_ they were married. Back when she would be heading home to her parents and Sasuke wasn't waiting up for her in an empty house.

 _Maybe...it wouldn't be a problem to go home early at least_ one _night in the week? What was it that Sasuke-kun said? Compromise?_

"He's just looking out for you. Because he cares."

"Yeah…" Sakura nodded. "Alright enough of that. Let's get to talking about why we're here."

"Nuh-uh." Izumi wagged her finger. "Not until you eat that bento your cute husband made for you."

"He is super cute isn't he?" Sakura giggled as she opened up her bento box.

She smiled down at it's contents. He had really come along way from being only able to make onigiri.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _uh...hello.  
This chapter was difficult to write because I'm not in love with it as much as I am with my other fics but I really wanted something out for it's anniversary. I just couldn't finish in time yesterday._

 _I have good news for readers: there will be another update next week. I wanna write an InoSai wedding._


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